Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Q?
by Hailey Russell
Summary: Q from Star Trek visits the SGC and proposes to help in the fight with the Ori. Set just before Dominion in Season 10.
1. Quixotic Introductions

Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate SG-1, Atlantis or Star Trek's Q and will not seek profit from this story.

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Q?

Quixotic Introductions

Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter was rubbing the back of her neck when the reflection of a bright light flickered across her laptop.

"Well, Cam, you were right. I _have_ been up too long."

"Do you always talk to yourself?"

Carter whirled around on her stool to find a tall man with brown hair and a widow's peak standing in the middle of her lab.

"Who are you? How did you get in here?" she asked, reaching for the phone.

"No need to call security," the man said. "They wouldn't be able to do anything anyway."

Sam scanned the man for visible weapons, and, seeing none, hung up the phone.

The man struck a pose and grinned. "Like what you see, eh? I can do better."

There was another flash of light, and the man was wearing tight swim shorts. He flexed his biceps and said, "Grrr."

Sam wasn't sure if she was offended or attracted. Either way, this stranger shouldn't be her lab. "You've got ten seconds to tell me what you're doing here."

The man frowned and snapped his fingers.

"Q," he said, back in a green SGC jumpsuit. "I'm here to warn you."

"Warn me? About what?"

"A serious threat to this galaxy."

Sam smiled at the man's smug expression.

"If you're talking about the Ori, we know."

The smugness was replaced by a dejected frown. "Oh. Well." He held up his fingers.

"Wait! How do you know about the Ori? Where are you from?"

The man considered her question, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "I'm from many places."

"What does that mean?" Dr. Daniel Jackson asked in the briefing room later that morning.

Q pointed at Sam.

"He belongs to the Q Continuum," she said.

"Ok, I'm guessing by the way you said there's a threat to 'this galaxy' the Q Continuum is in another galaxy," Daniel said.

Q looked between Daniel and Sam. "Were you two separated at birth?"

Vala Mal Doran laughed.

"It's not another galaxy," Sam explained. "It's not even a place really."

"So what is it?" Lt. Colonel Cameron Mitchell said. "A state of mind?"

"In a manner of speaking," Q said with appreciative surprise.

"You sure he's not NID?"

Sam and Mitchell stood as General Jack O'Neill entered the room and took a seat beside General Hank Landry.

"He looks a hell of a lot like-"

"I assure you, I am not affiliated with any organization on your quaint little planet."

"Quaint little planet?" Jack muttered.

"What exactly is this Q Continuum?" Teal'c asked as Sam studied the man, considering Jack's observation.

"It's an extra-dimensional plane of existence," Q said.

"Oh well, that explains everything," Vala muttered.

Jack smirked in agreement.

"So, you're like the Ancients or the Ori," Mitchell said. "You're ascended."

"Of course not," Q snapped.

"Extra-dimensional means outside our dimension," Sam explained. "It doesn't mean his race lives on a higher plane like ascended beings."

"Wrong!" Q leaned down and jabbed a finger in Sam's face.

Sam pulled away in surprise.

"Well, not completely wrong," Q continued, pacing around the table. "Extra-dimensional does indeed mean outside your dimension. But the Q occupy any and every plane of existence we so desire. Being omnipotent, immortal and the most intelligent beings in the universes, not to mention the most attractive, we naturally gravitate toward the higher planes." Q giggled and muttered, "Gravitate."

"Ok, you're not ascended," Daniel said.

"We have no need for ascension. It's beneath us."

"But entering other planes and dimensions isn't beneath you," Daniel said snidely.

"Other dimensions are a source of amusement for us. Entertaining and, on rare occasions, educational. Hey," Q snapped his fingers and pointed at Daniel. "I thought you seemed familiar. You were that woman's prodigy. What was her name? She was very interesting. Quite rebellious and…refreshing."

"Are you talking about Oma Desala?"

"Yes! What a visionary." Q wagged a finger at Daniel and smiled mischievously. "You caused quite a bit of trouble."

"Not surprising," Jack said.

Everyone turned to him.

"What?"

"What kind of trouble?" Vala asked, grabbing Daniel's arm and leaning seductively toward Q.

"Let's bottom line this," General Landry said. "Why are you here?"

"I told you."

"Thank you for warning us about the Ori," Landry said with a false smile. "You can go now." Landry started to rise from his chair, but Jack motioned for him to stay seated.

"That's it?" Q sputtered. "Just a thank you? No party or-"

"We'll send ya a nice fruit basket," Jack said. "I think what my elder colleague meant to say is why are you _still _here?" Jack said.

"Can you help us?" Daniel asked.

"Help you what?" Q asked.

"Defeat the Ori," Daniel said.

Q laughed loud and long, slapping his knee. "You humans, you really slay me." He sobered. "No."

"Why not?" Daniel and Jack asked.

"Because."

"Because why?" Daniel and Jack asked.

"Do any of you have original thoughts?" Q asked.

"Just answer the question," Jack said. "And the answer better not be 'because I said so'."

"If I help you, I'd be interfering with your evolution."

"And there's a law against that?" Daniel asked, his tone indicating he knew there was.

"Nope."

"No?" everyone but Teal'c said.

"Then why will you not help to defeat the Ori?" Teal'c asked.

"Because I don't want to." Q folded his arms and sat on the edge of the desk at the back of the briefing room. "That's not what Q do."

Jack turned to Daniel. "Shouldn't that be 'Q does'?"

Daniel sighed. "I don't know. This is a bit confusing."

"A bit," was Jack's response.

"Maybe he can't help," Mitchell said.

Q sputtered and stood, hands on hips. "I most certainly could help if I wanted to. And if it was necessary."

Mitchell shrugged. "Prove it."

"You don't seem to understand." Q leaned over the table. "I am an omnipotent being. You guys are merely human."

"Oh, here we go again," Jack muttered.

General Landry stood and strode around the table to Q. "Look, these people are all busy trying to save the galaxy. So if you don't have anything to add, leave them alone."

"Yes, sir." Q snapped off a salute.

Landry glared at the uninvited guest and stood his ground, arms folded.

"What do mean, 'if it was necessary'?" Daniel asked.

"Well if you make a huge mess of things, somebody will have to clean it up, especially if you're all-"

"So, that's what the Q do?" Daniel said. "Clean up after everyone else? I find it hard to believe that such a _superior_ race would consent to be galactic janitors."

Jack beamed with admiration. He couldn't have said it better himself.

"I wouldn't put it that way," Q said, wrinkling his nose. "If the Q _cleaned up _after everyone, we'd have no time for anything else."

"Well, then how would you put it?" Daniel asked.

"The Q, when necessary, use our powers to maintain a certain order in the universe."

"Like hall monitors?" Jack asked.

Q's face turned a sick shade of green.

"Too far?" Jack asked.

"I'd say so," Daniel said.

"I'd love to stand here and debate your job description all day," Landry said, startling everyone with his voice, which was so loud it seemed to echo. "But we've got work to do."

"You know, I've studied humans from your future. They seem to have overcome a number of problems." Q backed away from Landry.

"You've studied humans?" Daniel asked, not liking the taste of the words.

"Ew," Vala said.

"Observed may be a more appropriate word."

"Can you help or not?" General Landry almost shouted.

Q trembled and threw his hands up to block his face. "I don't know. I'll need to see how far you've come."

Landry sighed. "Can you do that and stay out of the way?"

"Of course I can," Q said, affronted. "Haven't you been listening? I'm omnipo-"

"See that you do so," Landry commanded.

"General," Sam started to protest.

"You're doing the best you can, Colonel. No one doubts that. But if there's even the remotest possibility that this man can help, I suppose we shouldn't pass it up."

"Yes, sir."

Jack swiveled his chair toward Sam. "If he gets in your way, feel free to use any means necessary to defend yourself. Even if you have to bite his hand," he added in a whisper.

Sam smiled.

Q clapped his hands. "So, where do we start?"

Sam bit her bottom lip and stood. "Follow me."

As everyone else filed out of the briefing room, Jack joined Landry at the window overlooking the stargate.

"You made the right call."

Landry turned to Jack. "Elder colleague?"

"What?"

* * *

"Ooh, what's this?" 

"That's an anti-Prior device," Sam said.

"How does it work?" Q tried to activate it.

Sam snatched it away from him. "Please don't do that."

"Why's it so big?"

"We've been too busy making sure it works to worry about aesthetics."

"You need something smaller," Q said, thoughtful. "Something that can be hidden easily or worn. Can I see the specs?"

Sam went to her computer. "We've been working on enhancing the device's function."

"This?" Q pointed to something on the device. "It's not on these specs."

"Right." Sam pulled up another set of plans. "We've modified it to emit EM radiation. That should make it possible to penetrate a Prior's personal shield."

"Should?"

"Well, we haven't tested it yet."

"Would you like to?"

"We _need _to at some point."

"I'll need some things." Q walked around Sam's lab, collecting various objects. He picked up a modified Geiger counter. "Wow, I haven't seen one of these in…well, I can't remember when. What's this?"

"That's Goa'uld technology," Sam said, gently taking the device from Q and setting it back on its shelf.

"Goa'uld technology? You're trying to combine the two?"

"I've been successful," Sam boasted.

"But not with this one."

"Well, no. That one's unstable. I have an idea on how to fix it, I just haven't had time to work on it."

"You might want to put it somewhere safer." Q scooped up the objects he'd put down so he could examine the Geiger counter and continued through the lab.

Sam pushed the counter further back on the shelf and ran to stop Q from activating something else she'd been working on.

* * *

"So," Jack said, leaning against Daniel's office door. 

Daniel looked up from an open book on his lap. "Why do you do that?"

"What?"

"Just appear like that."

Jack smiled and shrugged. "You're easy. You'd think after ten years on this base you would have learned to be more alert."

"I'd be putting Teal'c out of a job. And you."

Jack entered the office. "So, what do you think of Q?"

Daniel rolled his eyes.

"That much?"

"He could help us or he could be more trouble than he's worth."

"Well, at least you learned something from me."

"That and cynicism."

"I prefer to think of it as caution," Jack said, picking up a miniscule urn and twirling it. "Besides, a little cynicism did you good."

Daniel took the urn from Jack and set it on a shelf. "So, how long are you here?"

"As long as Q's here."

"Yeah?" Daniel smiled.

"Boys in Washington want me to keep an eye on him."

"You did explain the omnipotent thing, right?"

"Yeah."

Daniel raised his eyebrows. "So, if he screws us, we probably can't do anything."

"Lunch?"

"Sure."

* * *

Mitchell grunted and collapsed onto his stomach. 

Teal'c strode across the mat and hauled the Colonel upright.

"Bravo! Bravo!" Q applauded as he came further into the gym. "That was impressive."

"Thank you," Teal'c said with a bow and a smile.

"Not you," Q said with a sneer. "You've spent too much time sparring with those weaker than you."

Teal'c's smile turned into a glare.

"But you," Q said to Mitchell. "That flop…" Q dissolved into laughter and flashed in a scorecard with the number 10 on it.

Mitchell rolled his eyes. "Aren't you supposed to be learning what we know about the Ori?"

"I did." Q tossed the scorecard into nothingness. "I'm also here to observe humanity in general. And Jaffa of course."

"You already know everything we do about the Ori?" Mitchell said, doubtfully.

"Well, I've encountered them before."

"Why have you concealed this information?" Teal'c asked.

"I haven't concealed anything," Q said, raising his chin.

"You claim to have encountered-"  
"Oh, well by encounter I meant in passing. I was on my way to an encounter at Farpoint. I was also trying to elude someone so I went via the back roads of Earth history. Of course when you've been around since the beginning you're bound to encounter everything at some point."

"She kicked you out." Mitchell said and laughed. "Don't mess with Sam," he said seriously.

"She did not kick me out. I am Q. You humans have no power over me."

"Perhaps we should do as Colonel Carter did," Teal'c said.

"You think you can take me?" Q challenged.

Teal'c took a giant step forward and glowered down at Q.

Q made his body shrink then sprang back to his full height, catching Teal'c off guard. But not so much that Teal'c wasn't able to land a punch on Q's jaw.

Q staggered off the mat, shaking his head. "Just help me find Dr. Jackson, and I'll leave you to your playing."

"This is not recreation," Teal'c said.

"We're training," Mitchell said. "Keeping ourselves in pique physical condition."

"I guess you have to do what you can while the brains try to save the world."

Teal'c took another step toward Q.

"Kidding!" Q backed toward the door.

"Jackson's probably in his office."

"Checked there."

"Well, he's in one of the science labs then."

Two flashes of light later, and Q shook his head. "Nope."

"Perhaps he is avoiding you," Teal'c said, a teeny twinge of teasing in his tone.

Q looked confused and hurt. "Why would anyone avoid me?"

Mitchell shared a glance with Teal'c. "I'll help you find him, but we'll have to do it the old fashioned way." As the two men left the gym, Mitchell added, "Maybe you can help me find my keys."

* * *

"And stay out!!" 

"Carolyn?"

Dr. Lam spun around in the – from Landry's vantage point – empty room with fire in her eyes.

"Easy." Landry held up his hands.

"Oh, it's you." Lam let out a loud sigh and strode from the room.

"Nice to see you too."

Lam stopped in the middle of the hall. "It's not enough that I have to treat Q related injuries all day. No. He has to come into _my _infirmary flaunting his, his, how did he put it? Oh yes, 'higher being's intellect'."

Landry motioned for curious onlookers to get lost, and walked toward his daughter. He put his hands on her shoulders, gently turned her and guided her down the hall.

"He's gone."

"For now. Yes, he may be way smarter than anyone on this base, not that I've seen any proof. Daniel and Colonel Carter seem to think he is, and they're the smartest people here, so, where are we going?"

"You like key lime pie, right?"

Carolyn looked surprised that he remembered and relaxed a bit.

* * *

"Just because I can read the manual doesn't mean I understand how it works," Daniel said as he and Q entered Sam's lab, Vala trailing behind with an amused grin. 

"You said you had Merlin's knowledge downloaded into your brain," Q said. "That must have been weird."

"You have no idea."

"You're right." Q snapped his fingers. A long scroll and an oversized quill appeared. Q finagled the long roll to get to the bottom and began writing.

"What's this?" Vala asked.

"My to do list."

Vala picked up a part of the list further up from where Q was writing. "'Give a Klingon Targ a belly rub'," she read. "'Realign asteroids in the some place I can't pronounce. Take Lwaxana Troi skinny dipping on-' Hey!"

"Would you get rid of all this?" Daniel said, gathering up the roll, pushing it at Q, and ignoring Vala's pout.

"Still can't remember anything from Merlin?" Sam asked Daniel with a sympathetic look.

"No."

"Well, you know what they say," Q said. "Use it or lose it."

"Lose what?" Mitchell asked as he and Teal'c entered the lab. Mitchell tripped over part of the scroll and gave it a curious glance.

"You tell me," Q said, winking at Daniel as he began stuffing his to do list into his pocket.

Mitchell looked from Daniel to Q.

"He's talking about Merlin's knowledge," Daniel reluctantly explained.

"Oh," Mitchell said, sounding disappointed. "Maybe you can contact Atlantis and get Dr. Weir to send you all the info they have on Merlin. Would that help?"

"Dunno."

"Atlantis?" Q's head snapped up, the tip of his to do list sticking out of his pocket. "You've even discovered Atlantis? You _have_ been busy."

"You didn't know that already?" Mitchell asked. "I thought you knew everything about the universe."

"The Q do know everything about the universe_s_, which means I have access to all the knowledge."

"And you are part of the Q; therefore, you know everything the Q know,' Teal'c said.

Q shrugged and slapped Vala's hand away from his list.

"You've been around since the universe was born, and you expect us to believe you don't know what goes on in every nook and cranny?" Mitchell said.

"Oh, I've seen every 'nook and cranny,' but not everything deserves a second look."

"Gee, thanks."

"What makes us so deserving?" Daniel asked.

"Rumor has it the Tau'ri have become a formidable force in this galaxy. You've got bounties on your heads."

"Oh, well if that's all it took to get noticed," Mitchell said, sharing a look with Daniel.

"I've gathered you all here to announce…" Q snapped in a drum roll. "I have a plan. But it will have to wait."

"What do you-?" Daniel started.

Q vanished.

"mean," Daniel finished.

"Guess he had something important on that list," Sam said.

Vala giggled. "I'll say."

"Tell me that's not what I think it is," Daniel said.

"Oh my," Sam said, blushing at the portion of Q's list Vala had snagged.

* * *

"I'm just sayin' Spiderman comes closer to Batman than-" 

"Please," Dr. Rodney McKay scoffed. "He flings webs!"

"That's not all he does," Lt. Colonel John Sheppard said.

"Whatever. Peter Parker was a loser. But Bruce Wayne-"

"Spiderman is so good he doesn't need a sidekick."

Rodney stopped walking and frowned. "Plenty of superheroes don't have sidekicks."

"Name one."

"Uh-"

"Aha!" Sheppard thrust a finger in Rodney's face.

"Superman! You didn't give me a chance."

"You weren't fast enough."

"Did you see that?" Rodney pushed past Sheppard and entered a nearby room.

"Do you think I'm stupid? I'm not fallin' for that." Sheppard followed Rodney.

Rodney turned a circle in the room. "Someone poked his head out of this room."

"Someone poked his head out of this room?"

"Yes."

Sheppard laughed. "Who?"

"I don't know. If I knew who I would have inserted a name," McKay snapped.

"Was it one of the visiting Athosian children?"

"No. He's not Athosian nor part of the Atlantis expedition."

"You don't know every member of this expedition," Sheppard said.

"Not personally, thank God. But I do at least know most people by sight."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"What about the 5'3 woman with toffee colored curls?"  
"Toffee colored curls. Hmm." McKay walked further into the room, glancing around. "Ok, so there's one person I wouldn't recognize."

"That woman isn't in Atlantis."

"What?"

"She was my neighbor back on Earth."

"Well, I was a bit distracted what with trying to find the stranger," McKay sputtered.

"You just don't want to admit I stumped you." Sheppard folded his arms and grinned. "Twice."

"Oh yes, that's it. I'd hate to lose our meaningful superhero slash people who aren't on Atlantis debates because the fates of two galaxies ride on them."

The two men heard giggling.

McKay gave a high-pitched squeak and jumped closer to Sheppard. Sheppard looked at him, his grin turning wry.

"What?" McKay defended. "Ever since the incident with all those ghosts, I like to be cautious."

"Cautious like waltzing into a room where you saw a stranger? I thought you didn't believe in ghosts."

"You're no fun," Q said, emerging from behind a large crate.

"Excuse me?" McKay said.

"Who are you?" Sheppard asked, pulling his weapon.

"Geez, I was only hiding," Q complained. "You were supposed to find me. Haven't you ever played hide and seek? This is a great place to play. All these long, dark corridors. An infinite number of dark rooms."

"We've found too many surprises in these dark rooms," McKay said. "Most of them not so good. So the thrill is kinda gone for us."

"Who are you?" Sheppard asked again, enunciating each word.

"I heard you the first time. You can put that away." Q pointed to Sheppard's gun.

"Not until I'm convinced you're harmless," Sheppard said.

Q rolled his eyes. "What would it take to convince you of that?"

"Come with us to the infirmary, let our doctor check you out, then we'll talk."

Q snapped his fingers.

"Hey!" Sheppard took a step toward Q, and Q pointed the weapon he'd taken at him. "That's mine." Sheppard raised his hands.

"Well, if you're going to be a baby about it." Q flashed the weapon back to John.

"How'd you do that?" McKay asked.

"Magic."

"There's no such thing," McKay said.

"This is Sheppard," John said into his radio. "I need a security team-"

"That's not necessary."

"Give that back," Sheppard ordered.

McKay started to step closer to Q, and Sheppard put a hand on his shoulder.

"Come on," McKay complained. "If he was going to hurt us, he would have done so already."

"We just met. He hasn't had a chance for us to deny his demands."

"Oh, well he can kill us now that he knows we won't negotiate with him. I hope you're happy." McKay backed toward the door.

"I'm not." Sheppard jumped when his radio appeared in his hand.

"What about now?" Q smirked.

"Surprisingly, no."

"John?" Dr. Elizabeth Weir called over the radio. "We've been having reception problems all over the city. Did you call for security?"

"Yes, I did."

"They're on their way." As Elizabeth finished speaking, she turned to find Sheppard, McKay and Q standing in the control room behind her.

When the trio appeared out of thin air, two scientists were startled and dropped their equipment.

"Don't worry," Dr. Radek Zelenka said, stooping to help the scientists. "You'll get used to people beaming into the city soon enough."

"Thanks," the scientists said and went on their way.

"Newbies," Zelenka mumbled on his way upstairs.

* * *

"Daniel." Vala lead a curly-haired woman into Daniel's office. 

"I said I'd take you to that movie when I'm done. Now, the more you interrupt me, the longer you'll have to wait."

Vala cleared her throat.

"Yes, we'll buy popcorn and chocolate and Sarah!" Daniel exclaimed, turning from the shelf he'd been facing while he flipped through a book.

"Sarah?" Vala said, and glanced at the other woman.

Daniel came around a table, tossing the book on it. "What are you doing here? Why didn't you tell me you were coming? I could have picked you up. How long are you gonna be here? What's wrong?"

Sarah looked confused. "I'm not sure. I don't really understand what's going on." She glanced at Vala, her confusion increasing.

"She doesn't know how she got here," Vala said. "I tried to explain about Q, but…" Vala shrugged and threw up her hands.

"I was studying a tablet from my last dig," Sarah said, pacing instead of accepting the chair Daniel hastily cleared for her. "The next minute, I was standing in the corridor here. Daniel, what's going on?"

Daniel groaned. "Q!"

Sarah jumped at Daniel's shout and again when a man appeared out of nowhere.

"There's a reason I didn't want to stay here," she said softly.

"I know, and I'm sorry you got dragged into this." To Q, Daniel said. "Put her back and leave her alone. Take her back to before you took her so she doesn't have to be bothered with this memory. You can do that right?"

"I'm OMNIPOTENT. You're a linguist; don't you know what the word omnipotent means?"

"Just do it."

"Wait," Sarah said. "I'd rather not have someone messing with my timeline, if you please."

"Ok, I'll try to explain. Then Q will take you back and leave you alone."

Sarah glanced at Q and sank into the chair.

"Fine, fine. I was only trying to help," Q muttered.

"Help?" Vala moved beside Q while Daniel and Sarah talked.

"You like him don't you?"

"Daniel?! That's crazy." Vala crossed her arms and laughed.

"Well, I thought I'd bring in a little competition anyway."

"Competition?"

Q whistled innocently.

"Who is she?"

"Ask him."

Vala studied Daniel and Sarah. Daniel's eyes were soft.

Vala frowned thoughtfully.

"That makes me feel a little better," Sarah was saying. "I think. I mean at least it wasn't…" She looked away from Daniel.

"You could hang out for a while," Daniel offered.

Sarah smiled. "I'd like to someday. Just not here."

Daniel nodded. "Ready?"

Sarah nodded.

Daniel motioned for Q to get on with it.

"Keep in touch," Sarah said, standing. She gave Daniel an almost wistful smile before she and Q vanished.

"So," Vala said, moving closer to Daniel and flipping one pigtail behind her shoulder. "Who was she?"

"What did Q tell you?"

"He told me to ask you."

"That's it?"

"Yep."

'Why don't I believe you?"

* * *

"Q?" Elizabeth Weir called into the empty holo-room. She jumped when Q appeared. "I wish you wouldn't do that." 

"Occupational hazard."

Elizabeth gave him a skeptical look. "I just came by to see how things are going."

"Is that it?"

"Well, if you're hungry I was on my way to lunch."

"I meant is that all you have on Merlin," Q said. "Although Dr. McKay did say the food here was quite good."

Elizabeth smiled uncomfortably.

After they'd sat down to eat, Elizabeth answered Q's question. "I'm afraid that's all we have on Merlin. You can try looking up Morgan Le Fey, but after Dr. Jackson's encounter with her, that may be a problem. Unless you can find the real Morgan Le Fey." Elizabeth laughed.

"She didn't want to talk. Neither did Merlin. You know, this steak isn't half-bad. Mind you it's no blood pie."

Elizabeth grimaced. "Did you really talk to the real Morgan Le Fey and Merlin?"

Q nodded with a mouth full of steak. He swallowed and dabbed his lips with his napkin. "They were so arrogant, I couldn't stand them."

"Oh, really. I can't imagine how annoying that would be."

Q studied Elizabeth and smiled. "Usually, I would take offense at such a comment. But you're so beautiful. Do you really think I'm arrogant?"

Elizabeth blushed and swirled her spoon in her soup before answering. "I suppose it's another occupational hazard," she said, not looking at him.

Q chortled. "Say, what are you doing for the rest of the millennium?"

"Uh, um."

"Granted, you're not really my type. Although I do love a woman in power."

"I'm sure you'd rather be with someone who can keep up with you."

"You know that's the nicest rejection I've ever received. Not that I've been rejected much, mind you."

"Oh, sure."

"No, you're right. It wouldn't work. Thanks for lunch anyway. I've got to pick up something from McKay then I'm headed back to Earth." Q picked up one of Elizabeth's hands and brushed it with his lips. "_Enchante_."

After he left, Elizabeth stared at her hand, lost in thought.

* * *

"Yes, yes," an impatient McKay said, dismissing Radek with a wave. "I'm sure your calculations are correct." 

"Since when?" Radek countered.

"Since I'm busy!!"

Radek took a step back and bumped into Q.

"Watch where you're bumbling," Q snipped.

"Watch where you pop in, you $&," Radek said, using a colorful Czech word.

"Cranky," Q said. "And rude."

"Rodney, I will be in the puddlejumper if you-"

"Sure," McKay said with another wave.

Radek stalked out of the room, muttering in Czech.

McKay moved to another control panel, bumping into Q on the way. "What do you want?" he snapped.

"What's with everyone?" Q asked, sounding wounded.

"Crisis with environmental controls. Some areas of the city are too hot, others too cold. Now if you don't mind, I need to fix it before things escalate."

"This could be interesting," Q said, leaning against a panel, crossing his arms and ankles.

McKay sighed. "Easy for you to say. You won't be blamed for it."

"Oh, and you will?"

"I have a reputation for fixing things, especially things that are impossible for normal people to fix. So if I can't fix this and things get worse, yes I could be blamed."

"But you didn't cause it."

"Of course not. I've got enough to worry about without causing a malfunction that makes everyone irritable. Wait a minute." McKay raised a finger at Q. "You did this."

Q stood, hands on his hips, mouth agape. "Moi?"

"Yes, this is your style. You beam in out of nowhere and hide. Then you redecorate the gate room to make the incoming team think Atlantis had been taken over by bionic beings."  
"Borg," Q corrected.

"Whatever! Then all of a sudden, people crowd into the infirmary with some sort of rash they got from today's steak. And we don't get steak often you know, so that was low." As he spoke, McKay absently scratched his arm.

"What do you mean, rash caused by the steak?"

"As if you didn't know"

"I ate the steak!"

"Oh, well it was something in the rub."  
"Something?"

"I don't remember, ok. Besides, you're immortal, what do you care?"

"I feel itchy."

McKay rolled his eyes and went back to work.

"Ok, I'll fix the environmental crisis." Q snapped his fingers, and McKay's tablet beeped.

"That's it. It's fixed." McKay held his jaw open in incredulity.

"Things are cooling off down here, McKay," Sheppard said over the radio. "It's about time. Oh, and good work."

"It wasn't me."

"What?" Sheppard asked.

"It was Q."

"I thought he left."

"I've got some diagrams to pick up then I'm gone," Q said into Rodney's radio.

"Miss you already," Sheppard drawled.

"They're in my lab." Q transported himself and McKay to McKay's lab.

* * *

"Where have you been?" Sam demanded. 

"Atlantis. Charming place, if a bit crowded in certain areas. Now, assemble everyone again and we'll go over my plan."

Sam folded her arms and stared at Q.

"You're a Colonel; you should be used to taking orders."

"Not from you."

Q morphed his eyes into puppy dog eyes. "Please. Oh, should they be blue?" His eyes changed to blue, and his face morphed into Daniel's face. "Please," he repeated.

Sam shook her head. "Fine. I don't always give in to Daniel, you know," she said as she reached for her phone.

"Not from what I've seen," Q said, his eyes and face back to normal.

"You've been here two days. I'm assembling," she said as Q made dramatic gestures to the phone.

"You'll probably want to inform the generals too."

Sam glared at him, and Q took a step back.

"He's been through a lot," Sam said as she and Q waited for the others in the briefing room. "You can't blame me if I give in to him on occasion."

"Hmm?" Q stood looking through the window at the gate. "Oh, you mean Dr. Jackson."

"Ok, maybe I do give in too often, but sometimes I'm afraid we'll lose him again and…" she cleared her throat and stared at her folded hands on the tabletop.

"You know, he's very capable of taking care of himself." Q sat across from her. "If you'd seen him with Oma-"

"He got kicked out and abandoned."

"It was his own fault."

Sam humphed. "He was trying to save everyone."

"Who?" Jack asked, entering the briefing room and sliding into a chair at the head of the table. "Did I miss something?" he continued when no one answered.

"You know, I think you're right, sir. He does look like Colonel Simmons."

Jack smiled and leaned back in the chair. "Clone?"

"Well, he does have the same arrogance."

Q looked offended.

"So…"

"But with the powers he has, he's not a clone, sir."

"Good. We've got enough of those runnin' around anyway."

Sam nodded as everyone else filed into the room.


	2. Quandary

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Q?

Author's Note: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing. The whole story is written, I just have to break it into chunks. I'll try to be quick, but my 14-year-old dog is having seizures so I may not be able to update everyday.

Quandary

"You talked to the real Merlin?" Daniel asked later. "In the past?"

"Tried to," Q answered.

"Wh-what did he say?"

"Not much. Even after I told him you and I were good friends."

"We're not good friends," Daniel stated.

"He doesn't know that." Q winked at Daniel. "Anyway, he said he'd done more than enough. He didn't even want to know what he would do in the future."

"How far back did you go?" Daniel asked.

"Pretty far, then right before you woke him. Apparently he remembered me."

"Well, that explains his clamming up," Mitchell said.

"We're straying from the point," General Landry said, the thinness of his patience evident in his tone.

"My plan." Q whisked in a pile of folders and sent them flying to their recipients. "You'll notice a nicely drawn diagram of an Ori ship on page 3." He gestured, and everyone opened the folders.

"Wow," Jack breathed.

"Thank you." Q beamed.

"I was being sarcastic."

"This is my drawing," Sam said.

"Nicely done, Carter."

"I thought you were being sarcastic," Q said.

General Landry cleared his throat.

"Moving on, moving on," Q said. With one motion, he turned down the lights and activated the screen. "I will get you onto the Ori ship. You'll find this diagram on page 4." Q indicated the diagram on the screen behind him.

"What are we looking at?" Mitchell asked.

"It's an anti Prior device," Sam said, impressed.

"You can clip them inside your shirts," Q said.

"Are they-?" Daniel started.

"They're more powerful than your current, larger device," Q said.

"How long will it take you to make these?" Landry asked Sam.

"I'm not even sure what some of the components are, sir."

"I'll explain everything as we go," Q said. "I'll even help assemble the devices."

"How magnanimous of you," Jack said.

"These devices will not hold the Priors off for long," Teal'c said.

"Your _current _devices wouldn't," Q corrected. "I've incorporated into these beauties a mechanism that will enable them to self-remodulate. You may be vulnerable to the Priors for a few seconds every now and again. But I'm confident you'll be able to handle yourselves."

"Well, at least somebody is," Vala said.

"Now, once on the ship, this device will get you into the controls," Q said, keying up another diagram.

"I already know how to access-" Sam started.

"But with this, you won't need your primitive equipment."

"You know-" Jack started to say. Landry shot him a warning look.

"Jack," Daniel said.

"I'm just sayin', the whole us being primitive thing, dead horse," Jack whispered to Daniel.

"All you'll need is your mind," Q finished as Daniel nodded agreement to Jack.

"This device can allow me to control the Ori ship with my mind?" Sam asked, impressed.

"You might get interference from the Prior if you get too close, so you'll have to really know how to control it or your brain is toast."

Everyone looked to Q to see if he was being dramatic or serious.

"Toast is a distinct possibility," Q said defensively.

"Is that device necessary?" Jack asked.

"If you want to gain control of an Ori ship, I'd say it's essential."

"Carter?"

Sam was studying a diagram. "He's right, sir. We need constant access to ship controls. This device will link my brain directly to the ship and enable me to monitor the connection continually."

"And it's ok for you to share this technology with us?" Daniel asked.

Jack waggled a finger at Daniel. "Hey, don't bite the hand that-"

"Sam probably would have thought of it soon anyway," Q said. "Besides, I'm not _giving _you technology. I'm giving specifications that I had help developing. You can build the device using your own knowledge and materials. Well, Sam's knowledge. And I'll offer assistance when I'm available."

Jack, Daniel and Mitchell rolled their eyes.

'You've already promised you'd assist," Landry pointed out.

"I didn't say the word promise. I also didn't say I'd be available during the entire process." Q thrust out in chin in a "So, there" expression.

"Who helped you?" Jack asked.

"What if Adria shows up?" Daniel asked. "The devices won't work on her as long as they will on the Priors. I don't care how sophisticated you've made them."

"She'll be busy," Q assured him.

"With what?" Teal'c asked.

"Just trust me," Q said.

Teal'c groaned.

"I hear ya, buddy," Jack whispered past Daniel to Teal'c.

"What are we going to do with the ship once it's in our control?" Mitchell asked.

"Secure the ship. Get rid of any unwanted passengers."

"After that." Mitchell rolled his hand as indication he knew that part.

"Throw a party. Destroy any nearby ships on your way back to Earth. I don't care."

"You land the ship at the alpha site, and we take even more precaution to keep its location a secret," Landry said.

"So, you're down with this?" Jack asked.

"I'm _down_ _with_ us getting our hands on an Ori ship. As long as we can plan for all contingencies and everyone's willing." Landry looked around the table, and received six nods.

Q pretended to pay attention to the extensive planning session that ensued, but it all seemed so useless to him. He snapped in various objects to amuse himself with, and was forcibly removed from the briefing room by a purple and green Teal'c when his paint ball gun overloaded.

* * *

"You have access to all personnel files connected to the Stargate Program, right?" Q asked technician Walter Harriman.

"Uh, yes, sir."

"Pull up NID personnel."

"I'm not sure if I'm authorized to do that."

Q heaved a dramatic sigh and snapped his fingers.

Before Walter could breathe a sigh of relief, Q was back with General Landry.

"Well," Q demanded.

"What does he want, Walter?"

"NID personnel files, sir."

"This man has work to do, Q. Leave him-"

"What work? He just opens and closes the iris."

Walter started to turn toward Q with a glare.

Landry patted his shoulder and said, "Q, this man does more-"

"All I want is a picture of one certain man."

Walter raised his eyebrows.

"Nothing prurient Walter," Q snapped.

"Who?" Landry asked, looking at his watch.

"Colonel Simmons."

Landry studied Q then smiled. "Show him. Now, take me-"

Two flashes of light, and Q leaned over Walter's shoulder. "So that's him?"

Walter looked back and forth between Q and the man on the screen.

"I don't see the resemblance," Q said.

Walter looked at him with incredulity then scowled "You know I do more than open and close the iris."

"Fascinating, I'm sure." Q waved and was engulfed in light.

Walter sighed and reached for his magazine.

* * *

Mitchell peeked around the corner onto the bridge. He held up three fingers to indicate there were three people there. Then he pointed at himself and Teal'c.

Teal'c nodded.

Mitchell and Teal'c turned as one and zatted two of the three.

"How did you-?" The Prior in the command chair wasn't standing completely before Teal'c shot him with his staff weapon and Mitchell shot him with his P-90. The Prior fell sideways, hitting the floor with a thud. Blood and steam oozed from his body.

"Clear," Mitchell called. "Sorry about the mess," he added as Sam, Daniel, Vala and Q walked onto the bridge.

"I'll take care of it," Q said, and the bodies and blood disappeared.

"Hmm," Daniel said.

"I'm not a galactic janitor," Q snapped. "I just don't like blood. It makes me queasy."

"Aw, the big omnipotent being can't stand the sight of a wittle blood," Vala teased.

Mitchell chuckled; Teal'c smiled.

"I'm in," Sam said. She grimaced as a piercing sound emanated from the round, blinking device attached to her temple.

"Sam?" Daniel said.

"Can you compensate?" Q asked.

Sam turned a dial on the side of the small device, and the sound quieted. "That's better."

"Good. Now, test your abilities," Q instructed.

"What happened?" Mitchell asked, stepping between Q and Sam.

"The way I had to connect this device to the ship's computer was like dialing the internet," Sam explained in an off-handed way as she concentrated on exploring her connection.

"You're positive there won't be any harmful effects from that thing?" Mitchell asked.

"Nothing long term," Q said with a sigh indicating he was tired of answering that question. "Short term, she'll have one hell of a headache."

The ship lurched. Vala bounced off the wall she'd been standing near. Teal'c rolled when he hit the floor. Mitchell and Daniel collided, bounced off each other then landed hard. Q tried to grab the command chair but was thrown back. The only person relatively unscathed was Sam because she had been kneeling beside a console.

"What was that?" Daniel asked, sitting up and accepting Mitchell's offered hand.

"Sorry," Sam said, scanning the others to make sure they were ok. "It may take me a bit to get the hang of the controls."

"So you _can _control the ship with your mind?" Mitchell said.

Sam grinned. "Yep."

"Sweet," Mitchell said.

"Depends on your definition of 'control,'" Vala said, rubbing the back of her head.

Sam's grin vanished. "Sorry."

"You ok?" Daniel asked.

Vala twisted her neck from side to side. "I'll live."

"Lucky you," Q said, groaning and clutching his right arm.

"Are you injured?" Teal'c asked, almost gleeful.

"I landed on my elbow," Q whined.

Daniel rolled his eyes. "So heal yourself. You are after all OMNIPOTENT."

"We have a mission to complete," Teal'c said.

"Right," Mitchell said. "Q, go do whatever to keep Adria busy."

"I guess she hasn't detected us yet," Daniel said nervously.

"Leave her to me," Q said. "And by the way, I don't take orders." He vanished.

Mitchell sighed. "Let's get rid of any competition. Vala, stay here."

"What?"

"Sam's got her hands full. Actually, she's got her head full."  
"But-"

"Stay here," Mitchell ordered. To Daniel and Teal'c, he said, "Let's move out."

* * *

"Thanks for the heads-up," Landry said. "Tell your mother, she can pick the restaurant this time."

"No problem." Carolyn smiled at her father then turned to leave his office. Seeing Q in the doorway, her smile turned to a glare.

Q bowed and stepped out of her way. "Perhaps I can interest you in dinner?"

"With you?" Lam laughed and walked away.

Q shrugged and slumped into a chair in front of Landry's desk.

"Shouldn't you be keeping Adria busy?"

"I don't need to 'til she gets wind of things." Q leaned forward. "I need a little help with something."

"_I'm _not the omnipotent one. And I'm busy."

"More paperwork?"

"It never ends."

"I can fix that." Q snapped his fingers, and Landry's stack of files disappeared.

Landry sighed. "As much as I appreciate-"

Q snorted.

"You're right, let me rephrase that. Undo-"

"How do you do it?"

"Excuse me?"

"How do you talk to your daughter now that she's an adult?"

Landry sputtered for an answer.

"I've tried, but he won't stay anywhere long enough to chat," Q said conversationally.

"Well, Carolyn's- Did you say he?"

"My son. You'd think I have some incurable disease the way he runs from me."

"You have a son?"

"Don't look so surprised."

Landry's phone rang.

"General, I don't know how this happened," Dr. Lee said, "but several stacks of file folders were on a lab table when we got back from lunch. They're all yours."

Landry glared at Q. "Thank you, Dr."

"Just as soon as we find something big enough, we'll bring them back to your office. Be careful! Don't spill that!"

"Big enough?"

"Yes, sir. It looks like the entire contents of a filing cabinet are-"

Landry heard an explosion.

"I'm gonna have to get back to you, sir."

"What's going on? Dr.? Hello?" Landry slammed down the phone. "I'm going to open one of these drawers, and when I do, it had better be full."

"Uh oh, looks like Adria found them."

"Hold it!" Landry said as Q readied to snap his fingers.

"Ok, ok."

Stacks of folders appeared on Landry's desk.

"It's all there. And there," Q pointed to the filing cabinet.

"Thank you." Landry's tone said he was anything but grateful. "One more thing."

Landry stood, leaned across his desk and pointed a finger at Q. "Stay away from my daughter."

Q gave a nervous titter and vanished.

* * *

Daniel walked down a bland corridor and stopped when he heard the murmur of voices. As he eased closer, he recognized a story from The Book of Origin. He peeked into the room and quickly retreated to the nearest alcove.

He keyed his radio and whispered, "Guys, I may need a little help here."

"What's the problem?" Mitchell came back.

"What is your location, Daniel Jackson?"

"Deck five."  
"Can you be a little more specific?" Mitchell asked.

"I don't know. About the middle of the corridor."

"There are over two dozen life signs on that deck," Sam said.

"That's the problem," Daniel said. "One of them's a Prior."

"How many Priors are usually on a ship?" Mitchell asked.

"I don't know," Daniel said. "They're prostrating."

"They must not know we are aboard their ship," Teal'c said, exiting a transport near Daniel.

"If they're prostrating, we'll have the element of surprise," Mitchell said.

"We can't just shoot them all."

"So what do we do?" Mitchell asked, exiting the transport.

"I think I can seal off that section with a force field," Sam said. "But you guys may want to evacuate to another deck."

"Why?" Daniel asked.

"Because I'm still having a little trouble controlling things."

"I suggest you get out while you can," Vala said.

"Sam, what did you do?" Mitchell asked.

"It's taken care of. Move to deck seven, section ten. The last three life signs are there."

"Then you're done and you can come back to the bridge," Vala said, sounding hopeful.

The three men shared a glance and stepped into the transport.

"We can't just kill them all," Daniel reiterated as he, Teal'c and Mitchell entered the bridge ten minutes later.

"I'm just sayin' we can't take them to Earth with us," Mitchell said. "And if they see us, they can identify…Holy. . . What the hell happened in here?"

There was smoke in the air and a scorch mark on almost every panel. The back of the one chair in the room was nothing but black flakes.

Vala stood from her crouch beside Sam, who was examining the inner workings of a console. She had smudges on her cheeks, and her hair was mussed. She smiled gratefully.

"It was an accident," Sam said.

"There were several fires," Vala said.

"Several?" Daniel said.

"I sorta tapped into the weapons and…well," Sam flashed a sheepish grin.

"She doesn't realize her own strength," Vala said with a nervous giggle.

"I do now." Sam rose and replaced the access panel.

"Are you certain?" Teal'c asked.

"Yes," Sam said with a nod. "And the passengers are contained. With one small problem."

Teal'c raised an eyebrow, and Daniel crossed his arms.

"What?" Mitchell asked.

"They probably suspect we're onboard. Or at least that someone is onboard."

"Why would they suspect that?" Mitchell asked.

Before Sam could answer, Adria appeared.

"You!!" She glared at Daniel and tried to use her powers on him. "You LIED to me!"

"Uh, yeah about that," Daniel said.

Adria started for Daniel, but Teal'c grabbed her.

"I thought Q was keeping her busy," Mitchell said.

"I had to take care of something else first," Q said, appearing on the bridge.

"Who are you?" Adria asked, trying to jerk free from Teal'c.

"Let's chat." Q snapped his fingers, and he and Adria disappeared.

Daniel let out a breath and touched the new anti Prior device inside his collar. "I'm really glad these things work."

The ship shook violently, and everyone fell to the floor again.

"Dammit!" Sam's face contorted in pain, and she grabbed her head.

The ship stopped shaking, and everyone groaned as they stood up again.

"How about a little warning next time," Mitchell groused.

"Sorry. I guess I got a little distracted."

"Don't do that!" Vala shouted.

"You know, it's not easy flying this ship with my mind," Sam retorted.

"No kidding," Daniel said.

"I have to control and monitor _every _system."

"Is the force field still up?" Mitchell asked.

Sam closed her eyes. "Yes. I switched it to automatic so I don't accidentally blow them up or into space." She rubbed her temples.

"That's good," Daniel said uncertainly.

"What does that mean exactly?" Mitchell asked. "Is it like auto pilot?"

"As opposed to me manually keeping the force field up or shutting it down, yeah."

"You sure you can handle all this?" Daniel asked. "It's a lot to ask, and if you decide-"

"Thanks," Sam said. "I knew what I was getting into. I'll be ok."

Something beeped.

"What's that?" Mitchell asked.

"Is everything alright?" a voice boomed.

The members of SG-1 stared at each other not knowing what to do.

"Steban, is everyth-"

"Yes," Mitchell said. "Everything's fine. Thanks for asking."

"Why isn't your viewscreen activated?"

"Uh, we've been having technical difficulties all morning," Mitchell said.

"We?"

"Well, the passengers have reported problems."

"Activate your screen."

Teal'c gestured for Vala and Daniel to follow him.

"Or what?" Mitchell said.

Sam bit her bottom lip.

"Or I will have no choice but to board your ship."

"How long have we known each other?"

"Seven years."

"In those seven years have I ever lied to you?"

"No, you have not."

"Ok, then. Thanks for checkin' in. I appreciate it, and I got your back too."

"Given the expertise of our enemies, the Orici has ordered that all ship-to-ship communication be conducted via viewscreens."

"A wise policy."

Teal'c, Daniel and Vala reentered the bridge. Vala and Daniel thrust a Prior robe over Mitchell's head. They pulled up the hood.

"Remain in the shadows," Teal'c whispered to Mitchell.

Sam crouched behind the command chair and concentrated. Teal'c, Daniel and Vala again left the bridge.

"I'm workin' on fixin' the problem," Mitchell said. "As soon as-"

The viewscreen activated, and the face of a Prior loomed over the bridge.

"Finally. See? It's me, Steban."

"Steban, if this was another one of your jokes, now is not the time," the Prior said sternly.

"Oh, you got me," Mitchell said.

The Prior glowered.

"You know, I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention this to the Orici."

The Prior sighed. "If you give me your word it will not happen again."

Mitchell held up his hand. "Promise."

"Very well. I suggest you locate the source of your technical difficulties and deal with it."

"Will do. Steban out."

The viewscreen blinked off.

"Did you hear that?" Mitchell asked as Teal'c, Daniel and Vala returned to the bridge. "The Orici thinks we have expertise. Assuming she means us, of course. I mean we are enemies."

"I can't believe they bought you as a Prior," Vala said, staring at Mitchell.

"Yeah, that was a little too easy," Daniel said.

"They didn't see Cam," Sam said. She had collapsed against the back of the command chair. "I accessed the ship's personnel logs and projected the real Steban's image."

"Nice," Mitchell said.

"Guess we didn't need the cloak after all," Vala said.

"It would have been necessary if," Sam tried to push herself up. "If I couldn't get the image up in time." She slipped back to the floor, and her head dropped.

"Sam?" Daniel and Mitchell knelt beside her.

Daniel felt for a pulse; Mitchell tapped her cheek.

"Sam."

"Pulse is weak," Daniel said.

"Teal'c, give me a hand." Mitchell draped Sam's arm over his shoulders. "Where's the infirmary?"

"I'll check the schematics," Vala said as Teal'c lifted Sam into his arms.

Mitchell laid the arm that he'd had around his shoulders against Sam's body.

"You might not find much there," Daniel said. "They don't need medicine and equipment like we do. Not when Priors can use their staffs to heal."

"Perhaps we need the Prior in the chapel," Teal'c said.

"The infirmary is on deck three," Vala said. "I'll work on lowering the force field just in case, which may be a problem."

"Why's that?" Mitchell asked.

"I can't gain access to those controls."

"You mean, Sam's still controlling the force field?" Daniel asked.

"Apparently."

"We need to get this thing off her," Mitchell said, making to prize the device from her temple.

"Colonel Mitchell, Q instructed us not to take the device off Colonel Carter without medical assistance."

Mitchell withdrew his hand and sighed. "Work on getting access to that force field."

"Right," Vala said as Mitchell followed Teal'c off the bridge.

* * *

Teal'c gently laid Sam on a bed in the infirmary. He and Mitchell hastily opened cabinets and drawers.

"Nothin'," Mitchell said, slamming a cabinet shut. "Any luck with that force field?"

"Sorry," Vala radioed back.

"You can't find _anything_?" Daniel said.

"Just a bunch of ordinary supplies." Mitchell sighed. "We're headed to deck five. Maybe the Prior can override Sam. Of course, convincing him to giver her control again might be a problem."

"It will most assuredly be a problem, Colonel Mitchell."

"I'll meet you there," Vala said. "I'm the mother of the Orici; that could prove advantageous."

"Let's keep that ace up our sleeve for the moment," Mitchell replied.

As Mitchell and Teal'c exited the transporter and headed down the hall to the chapel, Sam stirred and groaned.

"Colonel Carter?"

Sam opened her eyes and looked up at Teal'c.

"You ok?" Mitchell asked then thumped his head. "Dumb question."

"I'm fine. Gave myself a, a cortical stimulator I guess is what you'd call it. It was a weird sensation. Kinda tickled, actually."

"How'd you do that?" Mitchell asked.

"With my mind." Sam tapped her temple above the device.

"You were unconscious," Mitchell pointed out.

"Yeah."

"So how were you able to do . . . whatever?"

"I don't know."

"Perhaps it is because your mind is still in control of the ship," Teal'c said.

"Makes sense."

"Sure," Mitchell said. "You somehow tapped into the Prior's power."

"I don't think that's possible," Sam said.

"Well, you tapped into something."

"Uh, Teal'c."

"Yes, Colonel Carter?"

"You can put me down now."

Teal'c did so.

"Thanks. So you were gonna take me to the Prior?"

"Didn't know what else to do."

"We appear to have outmaneuvered that projectile."

Mitchell and Sam laughed.

* * *

Meanwhile on a mountain by a purple waterfall…

"I am the Orici. Take me back _now_!"

"Well, since you're the Orici…no."

Adria growled through clenched teeth.

"Can't you use your own powers to get yourself back?"

"You don't think I've tried already?" Adria stamped her foot and turned, crossing her arms.

"Now that's mature for the leader of a powerful army," Q taunted.

"Who are you? You're obviously not Ori."

"Ew, of course not. I am Q."

"Never heard of you."

"The Q don't often fraternize with lower life forms."

Adria sneered. "There is no one more powerful than the Ori."

"I've heard the Ancients-"

"The Ancients are no match for the Ori."

"They kept a pretty big secret from you guys for a long time."

"We could have found them out if we'd wanted to. We did force them to leave after all."

"Whoo-oo," Q said, waving his fingers, not impressed.

"I will get free. And when I do-"

"Oh, I'm not worried. See, while you only think you're omnipotent, I actually am."

* * *

Sam, Teal'c and Mitchell entered the bridge and found Daniel wrapping gauze around Vala's right hand.

"Sam, you're ok," Daniel said with a smile.

"And we're not prisoners," Vala added.

"She revived herself," Mitchell said.

"What happened?" Sam asked Vala.

"I was trying to gain access to the force field controls in case we needed to get to the Prior. I wasn't having much luck. Good thing you're ok because after I was almost electrocuted, I was completely locked out."

"That was you?" Sam asked, grimacing.

"That was you?" Vala asked.

"Sorry. Again."

Daniel finished with Vala's hand and closed the medkit.

"I thought the force field was on autopilot," Mitchell said.

"It is," Vala said.

"The ship was in control of it, yes," Sam clarified.

"So, if you'd been in control of it and conscious, Vala could have gotten access?" Daniel asked.

"She would have had to override my mind."

"Which you would have let me do, right?"

Sam smiled but didn't answer. "I guess I owe you one for all I've put you through on this mission."

"Another girls day out?"

"Sure."

Vala smiled and flexed the fingers on her burned hand.

"Ok, I've got good news and somewhat less than good news," Sam said.

"Good news," Mitchell chose.

"This ship is already on a course for the Supergate."

"And the somewhat less than good news," Daniel said.

"It'll take at least ten hours to get there."

"Which means there's plenty of time for things to go wrong," Mitchell said.

"Can you not increase the speed of this vessel, Colonel Carter?"  
"It's already traveling as fast as it can."

"Maybe you can go to the engine room and try to work a little of your magic," Mitchell said with a hopeful smile.

"I don't think I can do anything. I've been going over the schematics and I don't even understand it all."

"Never stopped you before," Daniel said.

Sam looked around at all the hopeful faces and gave in. "Ok, I'll take a look. But I'm not promising anything."

"What can we do in the meantime?" Mitchell asked.

"There's really not much to do," Sam said.

"Perhaps we can familiarize ourselves with the ship's controls in the event it becomes necessary for someone other than Colonel Carter to-"

"Teal'c," Mitchell said. "I don't want to sit around doin' nothing either, but let's not tempt fate."

"I was merely suggesting an activity."

"That's not a bad idea," Daniel said.

"I didn't say it was a bad idea," Mitchell said.

"We could check out food stores," Vala said.

Everyone looked at her.

"We're going to get hungry within the next ten hours," she defended.

"She's got a point," Mitchell said.

"Cafeteria's on deck eight," Sam said, and the team set out.

"How about we go to New York," Vala said to Sam. "I've read about the shopping there. Macy's, Bloomingdale's, Saks Fifth Avenue."

"That might take some arranging," Sam said.

"I'll go with you," Daniel said.

"You want to go shopping with us?" Vala asked, shocked.

"No. But there's an exhibit at the Museum of Art that looks interesting."

"You sure you want to go there?" Sam asked.

"I can handle it."

"Course you can. You've got museum know-how in your blood," Mitchell said.

"We'll see," Sam said to Vala.

Vala hugged Sam and skipped forward between Teal'c and Daniel, linking arms with each man.

"I thought you read all the mission files," Sam said to Mitchell as the team exited the transport onto deck eight.

"I have."

"Did you come across one mentioning the Game Keeper?"

"Yep." Mitchell shuddered then realized. "Oops."

"What?" Vala asked.

"Nothing," Mitchell and Sam said.

Vala pouted.

"It wasn't a very pleasant mission," Daniel said. "Which way?"

"Right," Sam said.

Vala held onto Teal'c's arm as the others walked down the hall.

"What was so unpleasant about the Game Keeper?" she whispered. "Sounds like fun."

"It was not."

"Why not?"

"The Game Keeper forced Daniel Jackson and General O'Neill to relive traumatic memories for the enjoyment of himself and his people."

"Oh. And Daniel's somehow involved that museum?"

"It did."

"What happened?"

"You should ask Daniel Jackson."

"If you tell me, we can spare him from reliving it." Vala smiled at Teal'c. "Besides, he probably won't tell me."

Teal'c studied Vala before replying. "When Daniel Jackson was a child, he watched his parents meet their demise in the New York Museum of Art."

"When you say 'meet their demise,'. . ."

"They were crushed by a falling cover stone while assembling an exhibit."

Vala grimaced. "And the Game Keeper made Daniel relive that? That's horrible."

"Indeed," Teal'c growled.

* * *

"You guys comin'?" Mitchell shouted from a doorway at the other end of the hall.

"You alright?" Mitchell asked Sam.

Rubbing her head, Sam said, "I keep getting these…flashes. It's like somehow control of the ship is momentarily jerked away from me."

"The Prior," Daniel said.

Teal'c stepped away from the controls he'd been studying.

"You said earlier the people in the chapel might suspect someone's onboard," Daniel said, moving away from the bridge's large window. "Makes sense. When I was a Prior, I knew everything about the ship at all times. I would have known the second someone tried to take control."

"But that Prior in the chapel didn't seem to know we were coming," Mitchell said.

"Maybe he did," Daniel said. "He could have been waiting for us to come to him."

"He's probably been trying to take over ever since Samantha tapped into the ship," Vala said from the command chair, where she had her legs draped over one arm. "So why didn't he try to stop her right away?"

"Sam probably got connected before the second Prior realized the first one was no longer in control," Daniel said.

"Didn't Q say something about the device masking you until you had control?" Mitchell said. "I couldn't keep up with everything you guys did to build the device, but I remember hearing something about that."

"Right," Sam said. "I honestly had doubts about it working."

"But it did work?" Daniel asked.

"Apparently," Vala said.

"Can the second Prior take control?" Mitchell asked.

"The ship seems to be capable of linking fully to only one mind at a time," Sam said.

"Fully," Mitchell said.

"Which is yours right now except for those flashes," Daniel said.

"Right. So far, they've been brief."

"How brief?" Mitchell asked.

"Less than a second."

"How long would it take for the Prior to permanently take control?" Daniel asked.

"Probably less than a second," Sam said.

"How many hours left?" Mitchell asked.

"Five."

"Then the remaining Prior must be neutralized," Teal'c said.

"Easy," Vala said. "If this new and improved anti Prior device worked on Adria, it should work on this Prior."

"Wait, why didn't the Prior take control while you were unconscious?" Daniel asked.

"I seem to remember Q saying Sam would be linked to the ship until _she _severed the connection," Mitchell said. "Consciously of course. I mean if you were to be permanently unconscious, I guess all bets would be off." Mitchell grimaced at having said that last part aloud.

Sam nodded, tactfully ignoring the last part. "I have to input a command when I'm ready to disconnect." Sam pointed to the dial encircling the device.

Mitchell smiled proudly.

"Guess we should have paid more attention while they discussed the device," Vala muttered to Teal'c.

"So even if the Prior can override the force field, he can't gain control of this ship?" Mitchell said.

"If he cannot gain control of the ship, he also cannot override the force field," Teal'c said.

"But this ship works with a Prior's mind," Mitchell said. "He may be able to tap in."

"Or try to like he already seems to be doing," Daniel said.

"Well, we don't know for sure that's what's happening," Mitchell countered.

"No, but Daniel's probably right," Sam said.

"Can the Prior somehow gain access to that device?" Daniel asked.

"I, I don't think so," Sam said.

"Then, he must be neutralized," Teal'c repeated


	3. Quashing One Challenge and Qualifying fo

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Q?

Author's Note: Thanks to all for your interest in my stories. While rereading to decide how much to include in the next chapters, I realized I forgot something, so I have to rewrite a bit.

Quashing One Challenge and Qualifying for Another

"What are we going to do?" Vala asked as the team minus Sam trooped to the transport.

"I don't know," Daniel answered.

"Shouldn't we have a plan before we go storming-"

"We're not storming anywhere."

"Then what _are_ we going to do?"

"I don't know."

The team entered the transport.

"Shouldn't we know _before _we get there?"

"If you'd shut-up, maybe we _can think of something._"

"Hmph." Vala slumped against the back wall of the transport.

SG-1 exited the transport and dashed into hiding, Teal'c and Vala in one alcove, Daniel and Mitchell into another.

Mitchell peeked out. "What's he doin'?" he whispered.

The Prior stood in the middle of the hall with his eyes closed.

"Trying to lower the force field," Daniel answered, poking his head beneath Mitchell's elbow.

"How you doin' Sam?" Mitchell whispered into his radio.

"I'm trying to keep him out," Sam replied. "It's not working so good," she continued, panting with effort.

Teal'c and Mitchell burst from the alcoves, weapons raised.

"That won't be necessary." The Prior was suddenly directly in front of them. "It's too late."

"Sam?" Daniel said into his radio. He didn't get an answer. "Sam?!"

The Prior smiled. "I told you it was too late."

Everyone bounced off the walls as the ship lurched to a halt. Even the Prior swayed a bit.

"We will be returning to the rest of the army," he stated.

Teal'c took a step forward, aiming his staff weapon at the Prior's chest. "What have you done to Colonel Carter?"

The Prior laughed. "Your pathetic devices may prevent me from destroying you at the moment. But the effect won't last."

Teal'c activated his staff.

"Now wait a minute, Teal'c." Mitchell tried to take the weapon. "Get back to Carter," he ordered Daniel and Vala and turned back to Teal'c. "I'd love to shoot him too, but we need him."

"I won't help you." The Prior raised his staff and pointed it at Teal'c..

Mitchell kicked the staff out of his hand and landed a punch to his stomach.

The Prior doubled over, and Teal'c deactivated his staff as Mitchell punched the Prior again. Teal'c growled and ran head first at the Prior. Their heads met with a crack that sent the Prior swaying against one wall.

Teal'c grabbed the Prior's arm and slammed him against the opposite wall.

Mitchell tried to land another punch, but Teal'c already had the Prior flying through the air again. He hit the wall and slumped to the ground.

"Nice job," Mitchell said.

"Your effort was adequate, Colonel Mitchell."

"Adequate?" Mitchell whined.

"What's going on? What did you do to him?" Two men ran out of the chapel and down the hall.

Mitchell zatted them and aimed the gun at the other people who'd emerged. "Stay in the chapel, and you won't be harmed."

The people cowered back, and Teal'c and Mitchell dragged the Prior to the transport.

"Vala, get a force field around the chapel," Mitchell said via radio.

"That may not work again," Daniel said.

"It will for now. The Prior won't be interfering anytime soon."

"If he tries, I will incapacitate him again."

"And I'll provide adequate backup," Mitchell groused.

* * *

Daniel entered the holding cell, leaned against the wall beside Mitchell, and glanced at the unconscious Prior. "Things aren't so good."

"Tell me somethin' I don't know. Like how he accessed that device."

"I don't know. _I_ wasn't paying much attention when Q explained how it works."

Mitchell pretended to glare at Daniel.

"Well, Sam understood him, so…" Daniel shrugged.

"How is she?"

"Unconscious but pulse is steady."

"Vala get the ship turned around?"

"Yeah."

Mitchell glanced at the Prior. "So, he's not in control?"

"He's unconscious; his mind can't make anything happen anymore."

"Anymore?"

"During his brief takeover, he sent a signal to the fleet. Vala detected eight ships headed our way."

"Damn."

The two stood in thoughtful silence.

"There is a way we can diminish his chances of taking over again," Daniel said.

"Now, that I didn't know."

* * *

"You want to do what?" Vala asked.

"Lock onto the Prior's location and send a feedback loop to sever any connection he might still have with the ship," Daniel repeated.

"Can you do it?" Mitchell asked.

"Of course I can do it. I'm just surprised this was Daniel's idea. Considering this could kill him and all."

"The feedback doesn't have to be lethal. Does it?"

"Well, once the loop is started, you can't really control the outcome."

"Ok, I know it's risky, and we may be blowing Sam's only chance-"

"But we need to know if he's still connected," Mitchell finished.

"What if Samantha is still connected to the ship?"

"That's why we need a localized feedback loop."

Vala nodded and smiled. "I like it." She pecked Daniel's cheek and scampered to the appropriate controls.

Daniel couldn't seem to decide how to react to Vala's kiss.

"It is a pretty good idea," Mitchell said.

"I just hope it works. And it doesn't actually kill him."

"He's probably done worse to innocent people without second thoughts," Mitchell said.

"Yeah."

"Ready," Vala said.

Mitchell looked to Daniel.

Daniel gave it one last thought. "Do it."

* * *

Teal'c stood just outside the bars and glared at the semi-conscious form inside the cage.

"We're about to do it," Mitchell said over Teal'c's radio.

"Understood."

The Prior struggled to sit up. He focused on Teal'c and seemed to be trying to read his mind.

Teal'c didn't back down. Didn't move at all.

The Prior shrieked and spasmed onto the floor as blue and white electricity arced through his body.

Only then did Teal'c step back.

The Prior gasped and went limp.

* * *

"The Prior is dead," Teal'c said, entering the bridge.

Daniel dropped his head.

"Hey, at least we know he can't take over the ship," Mitchell said.

Daniel nodded and stood. He walked across the bridge to the window, going as far as he could from the knot he, Mitchell and Vala had formed around Sam.

Teal'c watched him, concerned. "He was the enemy, Daniel Jackson."

"You can't blame yourself for Samantha either," Vala said. "We didn't just blindly do it. You thought of precautions."

Teal'c swiveled his head back to Sam. "Is Colonel Carter-?"

"No!" Mitchell stood.

"Not yet," Daniel said.

"She got a dose of feedback juice too," Mitchell explained to Teal'c.

Teal'c cocked an eyebrow. "She was still connected to the ship as well?"

"Apparently," Daniel said.

"Perhaps that's why I was able to produce the feedback loop," Vala said.

Daniel turned to her. "You think she somehow trumped the Prior's brain for control?"

Vala shrugged. "Why not? She was able to override the other guy's control when she linked with the ship in the first place."

"Right," Daniel said, thoughtfully.

"Then perhaps, Colonel Carter will revive herself again."

"Maybe she's flyin' the ship?" Mitchell asked.

Vala rushed to check. "It's on autopilot. I could try to switch to manual," she said after a solemn pause.

Mitchell started to say hold off on that for now, but he was cut off by the ship lurching. Daniel, who'd been thinking about the possibility of Sam still being ok, was thrown to the floor.

Vala flashed a sheepish grin. "Guess I should leave it on autopilot for now."

"Best idea you've ever had," Daniel said as Mitchell helped him up.

"Really? I thought using that cargo ship to break the chain the first time the Ori tried to form the Supergate was the best idea I've ever had. Although, stealing the _Prometheus_ was good too."

"That plan failed," Teal'c said.

Vala pouted.

"Can you get access to weapons?" Mitchell asked Vala.

"I'll see." Vala said on her way to the weapons console. "Yep." She moved to another control bank. "Force field is still up and on automatic."

Mitchell walked to the window. "ETA on the other ships?"

Vala pushed buttons. "Approximately four hours."

Mitchell sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Any ideas on how to improve our situation?"

"Q!"

Everyone but Sam jumped at Vala's shout and looked around expectantly.

"It was worth a shot," Vala said, shrugging.

"Adria's probably keeping him pretty busy," Mitchell said.

"Indeed."

"Yeah," Daniel said.

"Any other ideas?" Mitchell asked.

Daniel wrapped his arms around himself and turned to the window.

Vala bit her lip.

Teal'c sighed.

"It's always darkest before dawn," Mitchell said in what he hoped was a cheerful tone.

"Did your grandma say that?" Vala asked.

"Yep."

"Let's hope she's right," Daniel said.

* * *

On the mountain by the purple waterfall, red plasma and blue plasma locked and pressed against one another.

The blue blade threw off the red blade, and Adria backed away, deactivating her light saber.

Q swished his beam through the air.

Adria puffed up her cheeks and blew out.

Q assumed a ready stance with his light saber raised.

Adria gritted her teeth and activated her light saber.

* * *

The hum of power was loud on the bridge.

Vala sat against one wall, her head resting against the wall. Her knees were drawn up, and her eyes were closed. Beside her, Sam lay with a blanket up to her chin.

Daniel sat against another wall, knees drawn up, eyes closed.

Almost shoulder-to-shoulder with Daniel, Mitchell sat with his legs stretched out and his arms folded.

Teal'c sat cross-legged about five feet away. His eyes were closed, and candles ringed him. His forearms rested atop his knees.

"Does that ever creep you out?" Mitchell said.

Daniel started. "Huh?"

Mitchell pointed to the Jaffa.

"No."

"It's like he's here but not. That doesn't creep you out?"

"Actually, I wish I could kel-no-reem as deeply."

"You kel-no-reem?"

"Yeah. I've managed to reach a meditative state a few times, but mostly I can't clear my mind enough."

"I thought he had trouble doing that because of the tretonin," Vala said.

"Seems to be doin' fine now," Mitchell pointed out.

"He's had to work hard to get back into the groove."

A beeping reverberated throughout the room, and Vala pushed herself up. She went from one console to another while the beeping continued.

Teal'c's trance broke, and he blew out the candles.

"Vala?" Daniel asked, sticking a finger in one ear.

"It's coming from everywhere."

"Everywhere?" Mitchell asked, rising.

Vala turned to Sam and smiled. "She's back."

The team rushed to Sam, who was struggling to push herself into a sitting position.

"Here." Mitchell let her lean against him.

"Thanks."

"Colonel Carter, it is good to see you awake."

"Yeah," Daniel said, scrutinizing her. "How do you feel?"

"Headache from hell." Sam gave a small smile and fingered the device on her temple. "I can't wait to get rid of this thing."

"I'll get you something," Daniel said and rushed to the medkit. In his haste, he dropped several items.

"You gonna be ok?" Mitchell asked.

Sam nodded. "I think so."

"Since you're in control of the ship again or still or whatever," Vala said, "do you think you could…?" She waved her hand and tapped her ear.

"Oh, sorry." Sam closed her eyes, and the beeping stopped.

"Thank you. Did you do what you did before?" Vala asked. "Tap into the ship and revive yourself? Careful," she said when Daniel sloshed water on her.

"Sorry. Here." Daniel handed Sam two pills and a small cup. "I'll get you more water." He went to get a canteen.

Sam's hand shook as she raised the cup to her mouth. "Thanks," she said to Daniel and took the canteen. After a lengthy swallow, she wiped her lips. "What happened? The last thing I remember, the Prior got past the force field."

"Oh!" Vala jumped up and ran to a console.

"Yeah, we took care of him. Well, Teal'c did most of the work."

"Where is he?"

"He's dead," Daniel said.

Sam looked surprised and somewhat relieved.

"Force field's still up," Vala said, rejoining the group.

"To answer Vala's question, I think I did what I did before," Sam said. "I mean, I must have. It was weird."

"What?" Daniel asked, still surreptitiously examining Sam.

"I felt the Prior trying to gain access to the ship and to my head. I tried to stop him, but I guess I couldn't."

"So he was probably still inside your mind or you in his when we…" Daniel didn't finish.

"When you what?"

"God, Sam. I'm so sorry. If I'd known your minds were connected, I never would have suggested-"

"You couldn't have known," Mitchell said.

"What did you do?" Sam asked.

Daniel licked his upper lip. "We sent a feedback loop to the holding cell where we stashed the Prior. To break any hold he might have on the ship. Vala locked onto his position, and the feedback wasn't supposed to go anywhere else. I thought that would be enough."

"It would have been," Vala said, rubbing Daniel's arm.

"If I'd given it more thought, I should have realized-"

"Thank you," Sam said.

The others exchanged confused looks.

"W-what?" Daniel said.

"I don't know what the Prior did to me exactly. One minute I was talking to Cam; the next the Prior was inside my brain. I must have lost consciousness. Then, suddenly everything was fritzing. I must have passed out again. When I came around, I noticed the Prior's mind wasn't fighting mine anymore and I started checking systems."

"How long have you been conscious?" Daniel asked.

"I'm not sure. I could hear you and Cam talking, but before that, there was silence. How long was I out?"

"About two hours," Vala said.

"What did I miss?"

"Well, besides the Prior's death, we've got eight Ori ships bearing down on our position. ETA two hours," Mitchell said.

Sam raised her eyebrows and looked shocked.

"The Prior sent a signal to the army," Daniel explained.

"A distress signal?"

"It's encrypted, but probably," Daniel said.

Sam closed her eyes. "He sent a message saying this ship has been compromised." Sam sighed. "By us."

"Us specifically?" Daniel asked, alarmed.

"Yeah."

"We're really making our way around the universe," Mitchell said. "Pretty soon our posters will be in every galaxy."

"You get used to it," Sam said.

"We can send another message negating the last one," Vala said. "You know, 'Oops, my mistake'?"

"They wouldn't believe it," Daniel said.

"No, probably not," Vala agreed.

"I don't suppose we've got enough firepower to take them all out," Mitchell said.

"Not before at least one ship can retaliate," Sam said.

"We can't outrun them either, right?" Mitchell said.

"Nope."

"Q is most likely still occupied with Adria," Teal'c added.

"I wonder how he's keeping her away," Daniel said.

"I don't care," Mitchell said.

"He has reminded us of his omnipotence on many occasions, Daniel Jackson."

"I've seen the power she has," Daniel said. "In time I'm sure she'll wear him down."

"Let's worry about that if and when we have to," Mitchell said.

"We're going to have to work together to get out of this," Sam said. "And we'll be at the supergate in less than an hour, so we don't have much time to get ready."

"Wouldn't have it any other way," Mitchell said.

"What's the plan?" Vala asked, eagerly.

* * *

"These battles are becoming _ridiculous_!"

"Really? I'm having fun."

Q and Adria stood in a boxing ring complete with a referee and spectators.

Adria glared at Q.

Q shrugged. "Then leave. Oh wait, you can't."

Adria swung at Q, but he raised a gloved fist in time to deflect her blow.

* * *

"Are you _sure _this is a good idea?" Mitchell asked again.

Sam grimaced and gritted her teeth. "Yes."

"Colonel Carter?" Teal'c held the Prior's staff weapon in front of Sam. The orb was glowing.

"Just a little longer, Teal'c."

Sam fiddled with the dial on the device that was no longer attached to her temple.

The orb on the staff flickered and went out.

Sam released a heavy sigh and slouched. "There."

"You're completely disconnected?"

Sam closed her eyes and concentrated. "Yep."

Mitchell keyed his radio. "Vala? Jackson?"

"We're in," Vala replied.

"Ok?" Mitchell asked Sam.

Sam smiled and rubbed her forehead. "Yeah. I could use another dose of pain meds, though."

"Good thing you had wifi."

Sam laughed. "I don't think the Generals would have approved if I'd had to have something implanted."

"You're probably right. Ready to use some good old-fashioned elbow grease?"

"What is elbow grease?" Teal'c asked as Sam swallowed a handful of pills and hopped off the infirmary bed.

"It means hard work. Without technological assistance," Mitchell explained.

* * *

"Vala!"

"Sorry, this thing is a little harder to control than I thought."

"You flew the _Prometheus_!" Daniel reminded her.

"This is different!"

Everyone sighed with relief when the ship steadied.

"Maybe Teal'c should fly," Vala said. "He did better."

"We need Teal'c on weapons," Sam said. "Try it again. Ease up on the controls a little."

Daniel sighed and gripped his console.

* * *

Adria stood alone on the mountain by the purple waterfall. She scrunched her brows together, and the area around her fritzed. She concentrated hard for a few minutes, then stopped, gasping. Trying to catch her breath, she pressed her hand against the area that had been fritzing. A hole the size of her hand slowly formed in a force field.

Adria tried to press the rest of her body through, but she was unable to.

With a frustrated yell, she yanked her hand back and scrunched her brows together again.

* * *

"What are you going to do?" Daniel asked, looking over Sam's shoulder as she input and synchronized data in a room adjacent to the power core.

"Create virtual particles."

"Ok, I know what virtual particles are, sort of, but how are they going to help us?"

"I think I can use power from this ship to modify them and hopefully jam the wormhole after we go through the supergate."

"Jam the wormhole? You can do that?"

"I hope so. I'll need some help of course." Sam paused and looked up at Daniel.

"I figured there was a reason you wanted me with you."

"Well, as Vala says, you are easy on the eyes."

Sam grinned and turned back to the console, her fingers flying over keys.

Ignoring the sudden warmth in his cheeks, Daniel said, "Even after all these years and all I've learned from you, my knowledge of wormhole physics and quantum mechanics is still rudimentary compared to yours. I mean, I've never even blown up a sun."

"But you did help Merlin build an ancient and powerful weapon."

"Which I don't know how to do again. I didn't really know then either. I was just following his directions."

"I don't know if I could blow up a sun again."

Sam explained her plan, and she and Daniel were implementing it when the ship shook.

"Our company's early," Mitchell reported from the bridge through the direct comm. channel Sam had rigged to stay open. "Shields are holding."

"Particles at 86 completion," Daniel said.

"Cam, we need more time."

"We'll do our best," Mitchell said as the ship rocked again.

"We're approaching the supergate," Vala reported.

"Particles at 89 completion."

"Vala, take up position ready at the supergate but don't go through yet," Sam said.

"We've got three ships targeting us," Mitchell said.

"Try to hold them off."

"92. Do we have to wait until they're 100?" Daniel said.

"If they're not complete, their impact will be negligible," Sam said.

"Can we emit some of them?"

"That will also lessen the impact. We need to keep the Ori as far behind us as we can."

"95."

The ship rocked more violently than before.

"That one pierced the shields!" Mitchell said. "Sam, we gotta get out of here."

"GO!"

Vala slid the ship into the shimmering event horizon.

"At least they can't all follow us through at once," Mitchell said.

Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"97. Why do things always slow down when you most need them to speed up?" Daniel mused aloud.

"We're out," Vala reported.

From the peaceful rippling of the wormhole, an Ori prow emerged.

"And so are they," Mitchell said.

Another Ori ship followed, and both ships fired.

"That's it. Emitting virtual particles now," Sam said.

The ship shook as two blasts hit home.

"Shields are down! Hyperdrive's been hit!"

Teal'c sent a volley, causing several explosions on one ship.

"How'd you do that?" Vala asked, impressed.

"I utilized the frequency the Ori used to penetrate our shields and administered a dosage of their own medication."

"Do it again," Mitchell said.

"They have compensated. We are about to receive fire," Teal'c announced.

"How you comin' with those shields, Sam?"

"I've rerouted power, but it's not enough. You should have 50, and I'm rerouting more. I also compensated so they shouldn't be able to penetrate for the moment."

The next wave hit, jarring the ship.

"For the moment," Mitchell muttered.

"No other ship has come through the gate," Daniel said. "Looks like the particles are doing their job. But they're starting to degrade."

"Yeah, you need to make more."

"_I _need to make more?"

"I was hoping once we'd gotten away from most of the ships, we could go into hyperspace. That's not an option now, and I don't know what kind of damage I'll find. I'll get you started." Sam typed in commands. "Can you take it from here?"

"I think so."

"Just make sure the ratios remain stable. Call me if you need anything."

Daniel nodded and chewed his bottom lip as he picked up where Sam left off.

* * *

In ever-loving memory of

C.J.

1994-2008

Author's Note: C.J., my peekapoo, had seizures all weekend and died around 1:10am Tuesday, March 4. He would have growled at the Prior like Teal'c and attacked if the Prior got anywhere near me.


	4. Quagmire

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Q?

Quagmire

"Why aren't they firing?" Vala asked.

The two Ori ships that had followed SG-1 through the supergate were just sitting there.

"I don't know, but the longer they take, the tighter the knots in my stomach get," Mitchell said.

* * *

Sam sighed and rested her head against a console. She keyed her radio. "Guys, we're going to be here a while. Several sections of the hyperdrive are fried. What's going on up there?"

"All's quiet up here," Mitchell said.

"What do you mean?"

"For some reason, they're not firing at us."

"We are, however, being targeted," Teal'c added.

"Sam, you should come back."

"Daniel, what's wrong?"

"I can't seem to keep-." The rest of his sentence was garbled by static.

"Daniel?"

When Sam reached the power room, Daniel was frantically pressing buttons.

"I got the ratios restabilized, but I don't know how long it'll last. I'm getting interference from somewhere."

Daniel stepped aside.

"The power of the gate is interfering with the particles. Which seems to be a good thing."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I figured the power in the gate would make the particles degrade faster than usual, but if I make some adjustments, the interference should actually boost the particles."

Daniel watched Sam.

"We'll still need more particles. Especially since I'm not sure I can even fix the hyperdrive."

"How long can we keep jamming the wormhole?"

"I don't know. There, that should do it."

The room suddenly went dark.

"What happened?" Daniel asked.

Sam tried punching buttons. "I don't know," she said, a hint of panic in her voice.

"Mitchell, what's going on?" Daniel said into his radio. "Vala? Teal'c?"

Without a word, Sam and Daniel flicked on the flashlights they'd learned a long time ago to keep handy and headed for the bridge.

* * *

"Where's Q?" Vala asked.

"He didn't say where he was going," Adria said. "And I didn't ask."

"Better have been important," Mitchell muttered.

Teal'c silently fumed.

"Maybe we can find him," Vala said with a bright smile.

"That man was insufferable!"

"You didn't have any fun with him?" Vala asked.

"No, Mother I didn't have fun with the man who was trying to keep me from my army and your little plan."

"There was nothing _little _about this plan, darling."

"Just do whatever you're going to do to us and get it over with," Mitchell said.

Adria flashed a sweet, evil smile. "Oh, I intend to." She raised her hand, waved it, and three anti Prior devices flew across the bridge.

"Uh oh," Mitchell said.

Adria readied to fling her prisoners across the bridge next, but stopped and looked toward the doorway. "What are you waiting for?" She waved her hand, and two more anti Prior devices flew onto the bridge followed by Daniel and Sam.

Adria dumped them beside the others, the devices and the people.

"You know, I was mad before," Adria said to Daniel. "But now…" She stared at him, and Daniel grabbed his head.

"Adria stop!" Vala said as Daniel swayed and stumbled backward.

Adria turned on Vala.

As Daniel crumpled and Sam caught him before he hit the floor, Vala grabbed her head.

* * *

"Daniel?" Sam whispered when Daniel opened his eyes. "How ya doin"?"

Daniel tried to sit up, but fell back as the room spun. "Where is she?"

"Ushering the other Ori ships through the gate," Mitchell whispered.

"What happened to Q?"

"She said he left," Vala said, and it was then that Daniel realized his head was in her lap. "He left her locked in some sort of multidimensional force field. Or so he thought. Apparently he set up a program in Sam's link thingy that would activate a similar force field around this ship in the event she overcame the first one." Speaking had increased the pounding in her head, and she rubbed her temples.

"That's why those ships didn't fire on us," Mitchell explained.

Daniel groaned as the ship gently shifted.

"We're in hyperspace," Sam said.

"Yes we are," Adria said. "And now that you're all awake, I can give you the new plan."

"Oh good, cuz our old plan failed."

"Cam," Sam hissed in warning.

"Well, it wasn't your fault it failed. You are only human after all."

"Let them go," Daniel said, sitting up despite Vala's efforts to keep him down. "Don't take your anger at me out on them."

Adria laughed and sneered. "Don't flatter yourself. I never fully trusted you."

"Yes, you did."

"No!" Adria lowered her voice and stepped closer to SG-1. Everyone unconsciously leaned inward around Daniel. "I led you to believe I trusted you."

"Then why were my friends able to capture me?"

"I allowed them to capture you so you would think that you'd gotten to me."

"To what end? This?" Daniel spread his hands to indicate the present situation.

"Of course. I knew I'd catch you again eventually. Q just made it easier. Your friends are a bonus. Now that I have the leaders, all resistance in your galaxy will crumble."

"What do you plan to do with Daniel now?" Vala asked. "Turn him into a Prior again?"

"Obviously that wouldn't work. By the way, how did you turn him back?"

No one answered.

"Fine, I'll take the information myself. But first, we are going to Earth." Adria smiled as if she'd thought up the best game ever. "All of you will help me convert your planet, then we'll move on to the rest of the planets."

"That's ambitious," Mitchell said. "And insane."

"The Tauri will never accept servitude to the Ori, and they will not allow others to do so either," Teal'c said.

"They will when each of you forces them to."

"What makes you think we'd do that?" Daniel asked in an antagonizing tone.

Sam shot him a look and bit her bottom lip.

"Your little devices no longer work on me. I will gain control of your minds, and you will do my bidding."

"We will not cooperate," Teal'c said.

"Not willingly, no," Adria said. "But it's a long way to Earth." Adria stuck out her chin, spun around and strode to the command chair.

Sam motioned the team into a huddle.

"I don't think we need to be antagonizing her," she said.

"Well, we're not cooperating with her that's for sure," Mitchell said.

"No, of course not. We need to figure out how to stop her before-"

"You cannot stop me," Adria said lazily over her shoulder.

"she figures it out," Sam finished.

After about five minutes of ponderous silence, Daniel moved closer to Teal'c and whispered in his ear. Teal'c nodded, and Daniel settled himself into a cross-legged position against the wall. Teal'c sat beside Daniel but not facing the same direction, their bodies forming a right angle, knees touching. Teal'c began talking softly to Daniel.

"What's going on?" Mitchell whispered.

"I think Teal'c's helping Daniel meditate," Sam whispered back. "Maybe that will keep Adria from getting into his mind."

Sam, Mitchell and Vala watched Teal'c and Daniel, mostly Daniel. After a few minutes, Vala got bored and slumped against the wall. She periodically peeked at Daniel and Teal'c out of the corner of her eye.

At length, Teal'c seemed satisfied that Daniel had reached a meditative state. He motioned for Mitchell to check Adria.

Mitchell slowly rose and strolled toward the command chair.

The guard standing just inside the bridge raised his weapon.

Sam cleared her throat.

Mitchell turned back toward the team. "Just stretching my legs," he said, hands raised.

The guard lowered his weapon slightly and didn't take his eyes off Mitchell.

Mitchell reached toward the ceiling with both arms and pretended to stretch his back by leaning backward. He did a couple large arm circles to keep up the show plus it did feel good to stretch and returned to his place on the floor. "She seems to be concentrating real hard," he whispered.

Teal'c stood and approached the guard The man gave him a questioning look. Teal'c reached for his neck, and, before the guard could utter a sound, he crumpled into Teal'c's arms. Teal'c carried him off the bridge.

Sam and Mitchell wasted no time in slipping out after Teal'c.

Teal'c returned to the bridge dressed in the guard's robes and carrying the man's weapon.

Vala glanced at the command chair. Adria had not stirred.

Approaching Teal'c, Vala whispered, "What did you do?"

"I performed a technique called the Vulcan neck pinch. Colonels Carter and Mitchell have gone to seek weapons."

"You'll have to teach me the Vulcan neck pinch."

"Perhaps."

"Perhaps?" Vala said with a wounded look.

Adria suddenly shrieked and slammed her fists onto the arms of her chair.

Vala skipped back to Daniel's side as he began panting. He took his glasses off and leaned his head back against the wall.

"You are only prolonging-" Adria stopped her mad dash toward Daniel when Teal'c stepped in front of her, brandishing his weapon.

Adria looked at Teal'c, then Vala and Daniel. "Where are the other two?" she demanded.

No one answered her.

With a swipe of her hand, she knocked the weapon out of Teal'c's hand. The weapon went flying. Teal'c was thrown back against the wall opposite the bridge and slid to the floor, his eyes rolling up as he tipped over.

"Stop it, right now!" Vala stood to confront Adria.

"You've never been a mother to me, why do you act like it now?"

"I didn't have a chance. You grew up so fast, and-"

"I am Orici. You should be proud to be my mother."

"I'd be proud of you even if you were just an ordinary girl."

"But I'm not."

"No, you've got more power than almost anyone I've ever met. Too much power for your own good. And you're using it to enslave people."

"So if I was using it to benefit you, you'd feel differently?"

"If you were using your power to help people instead of-"

"I am leading people to the truth and power of the Ori."

Vala sighed.

Teal'c began to stir. Sam appeared and helped him to his feet.

"And there is no one more powerful than me."

"Yes there is."

"I'd like to meet them."

"You've already met several people more powerful than you."

Adria looked confused.

Daniel saw Teal'c follow Sam out of sight around the corner from the bridge.

"You're talking to one of them now," he said, using the wall to push himself up.

"Mother?" Adria laughed.

"It takes a lot of courage to stand up to someone you love."

"She doesn't love me."

"Yes, I do," Vala said quietly.

"All you've ever done is criticize me and my mission."

"I wanted to protect you!"

"I don't need you to protect me! I am Orici!"

Vala bit her lip and blinked rapidly.

"If you'd accept that and accept the Ori into your heart-"

"Never," Vala said in a husky voice.

"Then, you might as well be dead to me." Adria walked away.

After a brief pause, Vala wrapped her arms around her middle and said, "Then kill me."

Adria sat in the command chair and hunched over, her head in her hands.

Daniel moved to Vala, but she shook her head and stepped away from him.

Sam, Mitchell and Teal'c walked onto the bridge. Sam put an arm around Vala's shoulders and started leading her toward the hall.

"No one's going anywhere," Adria said in a watery voice. She didn't lift her head.

Sam glanced over her shoulder but kept walking. When she and Vala reached the doorway, they were yanked backward and landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs.

"Adria," Daniel said and took a step toward her.

"She thinks you're one of the ones more powerful than me." Adria stood up so fast, Daniel retreated. "She's wrong. You weren't the one who betrayed me. It was Merlin."

Daniel sighed and ducked his head. "You couldn't keep me from getting into your mind. I have to admit you did put up quite a fight. It was almost fun." Adria stepped toward Daniel in an arrogant stroll, back in control of her emotions now. "But it wasn't good enough."

Adria took another step toward Daniel, and his knees buckled.

Mitchell and Teal'c fired at her, but Adria mentally snatched their weapons, sending blasts and bullets in every direction. Mitchell and Teal'c ducked as their shots came back at them. Then, each man grabbed his throat and made strangling sounds.

"Let them go," Vala said, standing to face off with Adria for what she hoped/feared would be the last time.

Adria heaved a dramatic longsuffering sigh.

"Let them go, and I'll do whatever you want."

"It's too late."

"You're right."

In surprise, Adria's mental hold on Teal'c, Mitchell and Daniel ended. Teal'c and Mitchell rubbed their throats, and Daniel slumped close to the floor. Sam, who had stood up not long after Vala, glanced at Teal'c and Mitchell, who nodded, then knelt beside Daniel. He lifted his head and nodded that he was ok. Sam accepted his nod even though sweat shone on his forehead.

"Where have you been?" Mitchell said in as close to a shout as he could manage.

"Family issues," Q said with a dismissive wave.

"Back for another silly battle?" Adria said as Mitchell and Teal'c exchanged a glance regarding Q's excuse for his tardiness.

"If you insist. How about a staring contest?" Q took a deep breath, then focused an intense stare on Adria.

Adria rolled her eyes. "I'm busy." She turned to indicate SG-1. "Where are they?"

Q shrugged and looked confused. "Who?"

Adria fumed and marched off the bridge.

* * *

"Where are we?" Mitchell asked.

"Passenger quarters," Daniel said, rubbing his temples.

"Let's get out of here and off this ship," Sam said.

"Any idea how?" Mitchell asked.

"We find Q and tell him to snap us back to Earth. Mission's off. It's not worth it anymore." Sam headed for the door.

"Sam, Earth needs this ship." Daniel stood on wobbly legs.

"Daniel," Sam bit her lip at the anger in her tone and took a second to compose herself. "I agree. Having an Ori ship would be very advantageous. But the current price is too high."

"I've been in Adria's mind before," Daniel said. "I know how it works and I know her tricks. If I can get in and get to her-"

"And while you do that, she'll probably be busy ripping your mind to shreds," Sam said. "We already lost you to her once. I won't let it happen again." Sam's voice threatened to break, and she swallowed.

Daniel was momentarily stunned. "Maybe I can at least distract her until you can figure out a way to confine her or something," Daniel said. "Maybe Q can help."

"We could beam her into space," Vala said.

"You really want to do that?" Mitchell said.

Vala shook her head and hugged herself.

"She would never allow that to happen," Teal'c said.

"I can let her think she's getting to me," Daniel said.

"It's too dangerous," Sam said. "The best thing to do is make Q send us back to Earth. We go over everything and maybe figure out a way to try again."

"You wanna give up?" Daniel asked, unsure of how to react.

"Of course not," Sam said. "I didn't say give up. I said regroup."

Sam left the room, the others following her solemnly.

"This ends _now,_" Adria said as SG-1 rounded a corner.

"I agree," Sam said. "Q!"

"I'm here. You needn't shout."

"Send us back to Earth."

"You're running away?" Adria sneered. "Even my pathetic mother doesn't do that."

"I am not running away," Sam said fiercely. "And I do not have to defend myself to you."

"Now that's tellin' her," Q whispered in a loud aside to Sam.

"Earth. Now."

"I'm getting to that," Q said.

"That's not what I had in mind," Adria said.

Sam cried out and gritted her teeth.

"Adria!" Daniel said. He started to step around Vala.

With a violent wave of her arm, Adria threw Vala and Daniel against the wall.

There was a sickening series of cracks as they hit the wall then the floor.

Before Adria could do anything else, she disappeared with Q in a flash of light.

"He better keep her away this time," Mitchell said.

Sam didn't say anything as she joined Teal'c in examining Daniel and Vala.

"We need to get them to the infirmary. On Earth," she said and strode off down the hall.

"Get to the bridge and set a course," she ordered to no one in particular. "Maximum speed."

"Where are you going?" Mitchell called.

"Do it."

"I will remain here," Teal'c said.

"What about-?" Mitchell motioned to his teammates.

"Colonel Carter will return or contact me with instructions as to their care."

"Probably shouldn't try moving them," Mitchell said simply because he felt he should say something no matter how pointless it was.

"Indeed."

* * *

"Just thought you should know, we're on our way," Mitchell said into his radio. "And we're alone. Q must have 'beamed' the other ships somewhere. Hopefully somewhere far away," he added to himself.

"Good," Sam replied.

"I guess you'll let me know-"

"Daniel and Vala will be fine," Sam said firmly. "Carter out."

* * *

"Colonel Carter?" Teal'c looked at her with a raised eyebrow as he took the Prior's staff she handed him. He watched her set down the medical kit and narrowed his eyes when he saw the object she removed from her vest pocket. "I do not advise-"

"Teal'c, I'm sorry, but I really don't want to hear it."

"Very well."

Sam pressed the device she and Q had built to connect her mind and the Ori ship against her temple. The device beeped, and Sam hissed in a breath when it dug into her skin. Teal'c handed her the staff, and she closed her eyes.

After a minute, Sam opened her eyes and looked at the staff. It wasn't glowing.

She took in a deep breath and tried again. The staff still didn't glow.

Sam put her back to the wall and slid down to the floor, her head in her hands.

"Is there a problem with the device?"

Sam nodded. "I must have damaged it when I took it off before. I'll try to fix it but first we need to see exactly what we're dealing with." She looked at Daniel and Vala.

Teal'c put a hand on her shoulder and gave her a reassuring look.

As one, the two friends got up and gently rolled Daniel and Vala onto their backs.

Vala groaned and reached for her head with her right hand, but Daniel didn't stir. Teal'c looked at Daniel when Sam sucked in a breath.

Sam unzipped Daniel's jacket and gently opened it to search for the origin of the blood.

"He's got at least two broken rib," she reported. "Probably a concussion too. I don't if there's internal bleeding. Vala?" Sam said as Teal'c patted her down for broken bones.

"Oh!" Vala grabbed Teal'c hand when he reached her left shoulder. "As much as I might otherwise enjoy being felt up by you, Muscles-"

"I believe your shoulder is injured."

"I agree," Vala said.

"Do you hurt anywhere else?" Sam asked.

"Everywhere. But I don't think anything is broken if that's what you're asking."

"Can you sit up?"

Teal'c helped her ease up.

"Daniel?" Vala turned sharply toward Daniel and immediately swayed and reached for Teal'c to stabilize herself. "Is he…? Is that blood?"

"Teal'c, there's something that looks like a stretcher in the infirmary." Sam reached for the medical kit.

"I'll help," Vala said.

Teal'c helped Vala to her feet. Before he could move off, Vala collapsed against him with an outcry of pain. "Forget what I said about nothing being broken."

Teal'c eased her back to the floor, against the wall this time and left for the stretcher.

Sam took off her jacket and tossed it to Vala. "Take your shoe and sock off, and prop your ankle up."

Vala began untying her boot. "Is Daniel…?"

Sam paused, her hand hovering over the blood she'd been mopping off Daniel's torso. "There's not as much blood as I initially thought, so I think that's a good sign."

"You think?"

Sam tried to give Vala a reassuring smile but she didn't feel reassured and she knew it was obvious.

* * *

Sam slouched against the wall outside the infirmary and held her head in her hands.

"You require medical attention as well, Colonel Carter," Teal'c said. "Adria-"

"She just made my headache a hell of a lot worse. I'll be fine."

"Is that all that bothers you?"

Sam smiled at his perceptiveness. "Teal'c, I don't know what to do now. I was hoping to at least get Daniel out of Adria's way. The only reason I agreed to this mission in the first place was because Q said he could keep her away. I shouldn't have trusted him so readily."

"Yet you did."

Sam laughed derisively at herself.

"Why did you trust him?"

"I don't really know," Sam said, shaking her head. "He did come through in helping us build the devices. And they did work like they were supposed to. For the most part. And he got us onto this ship."

"You trusted him before he did any of these things."

Sam looked at Teal'c, a bit scared that he'd picked up on that too. "Yeah."

"Why?"

"I can't explain why. I just . . . somehow believed him when he said he wanted to help. I know what you're thinking. That's something Daniel would say, whereas I would need proof before. . ."

"Daniel Jackson is more often than not correct in his 'feelings'."

Sam nodded and rubbed her head.

"If you believe Q to be trustworthy, then so do I."

"I thought you didn't like him."

"I do not."

* * *

"Alright, just like last time," Mitchell said from outside the force field around the chapel. "No sudden moves and nobody gets zatted" He glanced at Teal'c beside him.

Teal'c stood with two zats aimed at the growing crowd emerging from the chapel.

"We're ready," Mitchell said into his radio.

The force field flickered away. Mitchell walked forward and deposited two large trays of food in the corridor.

"Where is the other one?" a man asked as Mitchell went back for two more trays.

"He's busy," Mitchell said.

"He said he would return with proof the Ori are not gods."

"Something came up." Mitchell set the two trays down and returned to Teal'c's side.

"Then he will not gain our trust."

"He was injured," Teal'c said in a booming voice. "By the Orici."

The crowd gasped and murmured amongst themselves.

"The Orici is here? I demand to speak to her."

"She was here, but she had to leave," Mitchell said. "And so do we. Sam."

The force field flickered back on.

"I demand an audience with the Orici," the man shouted as Mitchell and Teal'c headed for the transport.

* * *

Sam shrieked and drew her hand back.

Mitchell dodged sparks as he approached. "Are you ok? What the hell were you doing?"

"Making things worse, apparently," Sam almost shouted as she examined her hand.

"That looks bad," Mitchell said of the blister filling Sam's palm.

"It's fine," Sam said. She kicked the console and hissed.

"Ok, I think it's time for a break."

"No." With her uninjured hand, Sam began pushing buttons.

"Sam-"

"Just give me a minute."

At her tone, Mitchell, who had taken another step toward her and reached out to physically pull her away, stepped back and raised his hands.

"Sorry. I don't mean to be snippy. I just need to fix my mistake before I give up and cry."

"How bad did you . . .?"

"Teal'c, I need you to shut down the engines for a few minutes," Sam said into her radio.

"Are you certain, Colonel Carter?"

"Yes. I need to reinitialize everything."

"Will reinitializing allow us to travel faster?"

Sam bit her lip. "No, but it will correct my critical mistake."

"Your attempt to increase hyperdrive power failed?" Teal'c's voice was gently somber.

"Yeah."

"I have shut down the engines."

"Thanks. I'll let you know when to start them up again."

"Sam?" Vala's voice came over the radio.

"What is it Vala?"

"Thanks and good luck," she said quickly and signed off.

Sam nodded appreciation even though she knew Vala couldn't see her, then shut down the hyperdrive.

A few minutes later, everything was reinitialized, and the ship was running smoothly.

"Now for that break you promised to take," Mitchell said.

"Right. There's nothing more I can do here anyway."

Mitchell stopped at the doorway and motioned for her to go ahead of him.

"I never said the words 'I promise' by the way."

"Technicality."

"Were you really going to manhandle me?" Sam did her best to hide a teasing grin.

"You don't think I could take you?"

Sam's grin broke free followed by a giggle.

"I've been sparring with Teal'c. He said I'm gettin' good. I even knocked him down once," Mitchell boasted.

"Really?"

"Almost."

"You're on."

"Huh?"

"When we get back to Earth, I accept your challenge."

"My challenge?"

"Best two out of three rounds of hand to hand. Loser babysits the next science team."

"Okay, but what if you're on the next science team?"

"Then I can focus on the science and leave the security to you."

"I have a condition."

"Ok."

"No holding back just because we'd be worried about hurting each other."

"Deal."

"That was fast."

Sam smiled.

* * *

"Look who's awake," Vala said when Sam and Mitchell entered the infirmary. She had her left arm in a sling and her ankle splinted.

"Daniel," Sam said with a smile despite her worry over his pallor. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I was thrown against a wall."

"He insisted on knowing what happened," Vala said.

"Yeah," Sam said knowingly.

"Any idea where she is now?"  
"Adria?" Mitchell asked and shrugged. "Don't know; don't care."

"I wonder what Q meant when he said he had family issues," Vala mused.

"You and I have that in common," Q said.

Sam jumped because Q had popped in right behind her.

"What, you have a powerful, defiant daughter?" Mitchell said.

"Son."

"You have a son?" Sam asked.

"You have a wife?" Mitchell and Vala asked.

"Why does that surprise everyone?" Q asked, frowning pathetically. "I happen to be quite a catch. Even if I didn't want to be caught."

"Where's Adria?" Daniel tried to push himself up onto his elbows, but collapsed when a stabbing pain rushed through his side.

"With her army at the other end of her galaxy," Q said as Vala helped Daniel ease back on the stretcher they'd placed on a table. "That little lady has quite a mouth."

"Takes after her mother."

Vala narrowly resisted the urge to punch Daniel's arm.

"Ok," Sam said, waving her arms. "Let's go."

Everyone looked expectantly at Q.

"What?" Q said.

"Get us home," Mitchell said.

"Can't do that."

"What do you mean you can't do that?" Vala asked, turning quickly toward Q. She winced and rubbed her left shoulder.

"I've already done more than I should have."

Daniel groaned loudly.

"Daniel has at least two broken ribs, and we have no way of finding out if he has internal bleeding," Sam said.

"How far are you from Earth?" Q asked.

Mitchell repeated the question into his radio.

"Approximately 36 hours," Teal'c answered.

"How far are we from a planet with a stargate?" Sam asked.

"The nearest planet is approximately five hours away. I have laid in a course; however, I am unable to ascertain-"

"Teal'c?"

"I believe the sensors are malfunctioning."

"Sensors are fine," Q said.

Teal'c whirled around to see Q, Mitchell and Sam on the bridge. Q sank into the command chair with a sigh as if he'd been on his feet all day. "Is there a stargate on the planet?"

"We're there?" Mitchell asked. "Here?"

"Duh," Q said.

"I thought you said you've done more than you should have already," Sam said.

"I've always been a little rebellious. The Q expect it of me. Far be it from me to disappoint them."

"Then take us all the way," Mitchell said.

"Ordinarily, I would be happy to. However, the Q are touchy these days thanks to my son's antics. They could do something dreadful to me if they find out I've left my son to help you much more." Q shuddered.

"They don't know already?" Mitchell asked. "They're omnipotent like you, right?"

"They're preoccupied at the moment."

"With what?" Mitchell asked.

"My wife and all her demands."

Sam rolled her eyes. "Is there a stargate, Teal'c?"

"There is not. How is Daniel Jackson?"

"Awake. In pain, although he'd never admit it." Sam turned to Q. "Can you at least tell us if he's bleeding internally?"

Q knitted his brows as he reclined further in the command chair. "I can try."

"Teal'c, keep looking for planets and stargates."

Teal'c bowed his head. "What was your punishment?" he asked, deducing that Q must have crossed that line at some point.

"Too horrible to mention."

Mitchell sidled over to Q, who wasn't moving. "Well."

"I'm thinking." Q leaned forward, left hand resting over left knee, right elbow on top of left thigh. He rested his chin on the back of his folded right hand.

Mitchell rolled his eyes at the statuesque posture.

"What did the Q do to you?" Mitchell asked.

Q sighed dramatically. "They made me mortal."

"Mortal as in . . ."

"Mortal as in no-powers-stuck-in-a-stifling-human-suit-for-infinite-eternity. I told you it was too horrible to mention."

The bridge suddenly filled with loud Jaffa laughter.

* * *

"The big guy doesn't like me does he?" Q asked when he'd flashed himself, Sam and Mitchell back to the infirmary.

Mitchell snorted.

Sam moved to Daniel and put her hand on his head. His head was cool, but not cold enough for shock, and she sighed inwardly with relief.

"What's up?" he asked, opening his eyes.

"Q's going to find out if you have internal bleeding."

Daniel half smiled in response.

Q flexed his fingers and approached the table.

"What exactly are you going to do?" Sam asked, not moving out of Q's way.

"Make myself as small as a cell and explore."

"You're going inside me?" Daniel asked, alarmed.

"What?" Vala and Mitchell asked, equally alarmed.

"Well, I don't have x-ray vision."

"You're omnipotent," Mitchell reminded him.

"X-ray vision is a myth. Look I probably can't hurt him."

"Probably can't?" all four humans exclaimed.

"I'll be too tiny to do anything." Q held his thumb and index finger together to indicate how small he'd be.

Sam looked to Daniel. "I think you got lucky, but I'd rather know for sure."

"You've already got millions of cells floatin' around. I won't even be noticed. Of course, I'll be better."

"Oh, of course," Mitchell muttered.

Daniel licked his lips.

"It's up to you," Sam said to Daniel.

"Suppose I am bleeding internally."

"I can _maybe _think of something to keep you alive until you get home."

"Do I have to be awake?" Daniel asked, distressed.

"Of course not," Q said. "That would be weird."

Daniel emitted a short laugh.

Sam rummaged in the medkit. "We've got morphine, but I'd rather not use it unless. . ."

"I can go into your brain and render you unconscious. Temporarily," Q stated.

"Uh. . ." Daniel didn't like the sound of that. "I think I'll take my chances and stay awake."

"I can give you another small dose of pain meds," Sam offered. "With what's left in your system, you'll probably doze off again."

"Ok."

"You haven't mentioned a medical degree," Mitchell said.

Vala helped Daniel onto his elbows with her free hand, and Sam handed him a pill.

"I may not have one, but I studied the top doctors on Earth for many, many centuries. Past and future."

"Studied like you studied humans?" Vala asked.

"Studied as in watched them perform billions of procedures. Trillions."

"No doubt getting in their way," Mitchell said.

Q ignored Mitchell and looked at Daniel. "I'll be quick and gentle."

Vala covered her mouth when a snicker escaped.

Daniel looked to Sam.

"He was delicate when he helped build the anti Prior devices," she said.

"Ok," Daniel said and closed his eyes. "Just get it over with."

Q pressed his hands together in front of his chest and bowed his head. He stood like that until he sensed the others getting restless, then he flung his arms behind him and disappeared.


	5. Quickening

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Q?

Author's Note: Thanks for all the reviews! Reviews are good for writers. They let us know what we're doing right, which makes us all warm and glowy, and they show us what we need to do better. Like things we need to explain or clarify.

A little explanation/clarification regarding Steven Kodaly's question about how Q can do tricks if he's stuck in a human suit. I forgot that Stargate fans aren't necessarily Star Trek fans too. And for those who are, it may have been awhile since you watched Star Trek. I know for me it has. I even had to look up what episode the following comes from. In an episode of Star Trek The Next Generation titled "Deja Q," the Q Continuum stripped Q of his powers and banished him because of his many misdeeds. They allowed him to choose what form to take and where he wished to be sent. He chose to be human and be sent to the _Enterprise. _During his stay, he selflessly put himself in danger to save the crew and a planet full of people the _Enterprise _was trying to save. Because of this, the Q Continuum reinstated him and returned his powers. Therefore, he was only temporarily stuck in a human suit. That's why he can do his tricks. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

Now, on with the show.

Quickening

The infirmary was perfectly silent until Daniel twitched, and the others jumped.

"So, he's in there?" Vala asked. "Can you actually feel him?"

Sam and Mitchell shuddered.

Daniel groggily mumbled a response, and his head lolled to one side.

"What do you do in a situation like this?" Mitchell asked after several minutes of anxious silence.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"I've never been in a situation like this before," Vala said.

"But you've both been in weird situations."

"Plenty," Sam said.

"Define weird," Vala said.

"Weird, strange, unusual."

"Alien?"

"Yeah."

"Then anything usual in my life would be weird to you," Vala said.

"Right. But you've been in situations alien to you."

"Other than things you've done with us," Sam said quickly.

"Sure," Vala said.

"So, what did you do? If you had to wait for some reason."

Vala smiled lasciviously.

"Never mind." Mitchell looked to Sam.

"Well, usually we talked about whatever was on General O'Neill's mind. Which was sometimes weirder than the situation itself."

Mitchell raised his eyebrows. "For example. . . "

Vala half listened to them as she leaned over Daniel, scanning him as if she could see Q moving about inside him.

After considering, Sam said, "We were waiting outside a temple once. Daniel was supposedly learning how to light candles and do other stuff with his mind."

"On Kheb," Mitchell said.

"Yeah. Well, the General was bored, actually we were all bored. So he started making a list of reasons why Martha Stewart could be an alien."

"She's definitely strange," Vala said.

"There was also when the General had the ancients' knowledge downloaded into his brain for the second time. Before he went ancient, he tried to convince us all that Mr. Burns is a goa'uld."

"I can see that," Mitchell said.

Vala rolled her eyes and sighed. She had just begun drumming her fingers when Q flashed back, stretching and flexing.

"I forgot how cramped it is in there," he complained.

"You've become a cell in someone's body before?" Mitchell asked.

Before Q could answer – mainly because she really didn't want to know the answer – Sam asked about Daniel at the same time as Vala.

"There are a lot of white blood cells around that wound," Q pointed to the bandage on Daniel's abdomen. "And he's got a rib pressing against lung. If you don't get him to a doctor soon, the rib could puncture the lung."

"No internal bleeding?" Sam said.

"Nope. But if that wound was just a teeny bit lower, you wouldn't have needed me. Although, I did observe autopsies."

"Thank you," Sam said loudly to forestall Q from continuing.

"Lucky you were standing in front of him when Adria threw her tantrum," Q said to Vala.

"If you're not going to do anything else, then why don't you just leave," Vala snapped.

"Well. You're welcome," Q snapped and vanished.

"Was that necessary?" Sam asked.

"He was being a pompous ass," Vala said, glancing at Daniel's wound.

"He was also helping. And we may have been able to talk him into helping more."

Vala grimaced. "Sorry."

* * *

"Sensors have detected another planet," Teal'c said and silenced a beep. "We will arrive within one hour."

"Let's hope this one has a stargate," Sam said, stifling a yawn.

"You should get some rest," Mitchell said.

"Don't start that again," Sam said. "That's an order."

"We're the same-"

"Seniority."

Mitchell dropped it.

* * *

"Easy," Vala said, helping Daniel onto his elbow and holding a cup to his lips.

Daniel drank and lay back.

"Not much longer now."

"You keep saying that."

"Well, we're bound to find a planet soon."

Daniel closed his eyes and tried to take a deep breath. "Where are we exactly?"

"Lost in deep space."

"How very helpful."

"How would knowing where we are be helpful?"

"Maybe we have friends in the area."

"So far, we haven't met anyone. Which could be a good thing."

After a pause, Daniel suddenly tried to bolt up.

"I wish you'd stop that," Vala said, trying to force him back down with her free arm.

"The people in the chapel," Daniel said, his forehead creasing in pain.

"Cameron and Teal'c fed them again."

"I was supposed to bring them proof the Ori are just using them. Now they probably think I was lying."

"What were you going to take them as proof?"

"I recognized the man who stepped forward as their spokesperson. He was on the same ship when I was a Prior. I can use that to tell him things that he did."

"To convince him you were there." Vala smiled.

Daniel nodded, then grabbed the edge of his table/bed to keep from falling off as the ship lurched.

"What the hell was that?" Vala cried, leaning over Daniel's chest to protect him from anything that might fall and help him hold his position.

"Vala?" Sam's voice came over radio. "Are you guys ok?"

"Yes. What happened?"

"Somebody fired on us," Mitchell responded.

"Who?" Vala and Daniel asked, and Daniel began coughing.

"We don't know yet," Sam said.

* * *

On the bridge, Teal'c opened a comm. channel. "This is Teal'c of SG-1. Our weapons are superior to yours. Cease-."

"Why are you firing on us?" Mitchell interrupted, earning him an irritated eyebrow raise.

"SG-1?" a voice said.

"This is Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter. Who am I speaking to?"

In answer, the vessel fired at the Ori ship.

"Target their weapons," Sam ordered.

Teal'c did so and fired. "The enemy's weapons have been disabled."

"Maybe they'll talk now," Mitchell said.

"Target their engines," Sam shouted as the enemy vessel began moving away.

Teal'c fired several shots at the ship, and after several explosions, the ship stopped.

"I believe I indirectly destroyed their communication abilities as well," Teal'c said.

Streams of smoke and fuel flowed from the other ship.

"I'm locking onto any life signs," Sam said.

The rest of the ship exploded.

"I read four life signs," Sam said. "But because two were near explosions, I could only beam the other two away."

"Let's go welcome them," Mitchell said. "Teal'c, make them comfortable in the ring room or whatever the Ori call it."

Teal'c nodded and erected a force field around the 'ring room'.

* * *

Mitchell and Sam stopped by the infirmary first.

Vala was crouched over Daniel, who was lying on his side on the floor.

Sam knelt beside Daniel and lightly placed a hand on his shoulder. "Hey."

Daniel was breathing heavy and shivering. All he could do was look up at her.

Sam sucked in her bottom lip. "We need to get him on his back."

Sam and Vala eased him over. He immediately went into a wheezing fit.

"Get an oxygen mask," Sam ordered. "And see if you can find a blanket."

Sam examined the growing blood stain on Daniel's side.

"The stitches broke when he landed," Vala said. "I tried to catch him." She bit her lip.

"I'm sure you did," Mitchell said and fitted the oxygen mask over Daniel's mouth and nose.

"Try to breathe normally," Sam told Daniel as she peeled away the bloody bandage and prepared to restitch the wound. She cleaned it, sprayed it with antiseptic and administered a local anesthetic.

Mitchell shook out a blanket he'd seen earlier when he and Teal'c searched the place, and Vala helped him tuck the blanket around Daniel yet out of Sam's way.

"If you can handle things here, I'll go see about our visitors," Mitchell said.

Sam nodded, and Mitchell strode from the room, balling his hands into fists as he went.

"Who are they?" Vala asked.

"We don't know yet." She stopped midstitch when Daniel began wheezing again.

"His lips are turning blue!" Vala said.

"Hold this," Sam said. "And I need your jacket."

Vala set Daniel's head gently on the floor, took off her jacket, and took the needle from Sam.

Sam took off her jacket and folded it together with Vala's. She pressed them against Daniel's chest.

"What are you doing?"

Sam didn't take her eyes off Daniel's face. "Q said he had a rib pressing against his lung. It wouldn't take much movement for the rib to pierce his lung. If it only made a small hole, holding something soft against his chest like this should help."

"And if it made a bigger hole?"

Sam shook her head.

The two women watched intently until Daniel gasped and coughed. Sam removed the oxygen mask so he could catch his breath.

"How you doin'?" she asked.

"My head hurts," Daniel answered, breathing rapidly.

"Yeah," Sam said.

"Actually, everything hurts." With that, he passed out.

"Daniel!" Vala and Sam caught his head before it smacked against the floor.

* * *

"I hope you had a damn good reason for firing on us," Mitchell said, approaching the force field. "Because I've got a friend who's didn't need to be injured more."

"Too bad it wasn't you," a woman with grayish skin said with a sneer.

"Excuse me? How can you have a grudge against me? We've never met, and believe me I'd remember if we had."

"You were the reason my love was murdered."

Mitchell worked his mouth trying to form words. "What the _hell _are you talking about?!"

"Does the name Netan ring a bell," the man with the woman, who also had grayish skin, finally spoke.

* * *

"You've got to be kidding," Sam said.

Mitchell shook his head in disbelief as much as denial.

"She should find Ventrell," Vala said from her position beside Daniel. She had her free arm resting gently on the jackets over his chest to keep them in place. "He's the one who did it."

"But I'm the one who gave him the idea to use the infighting to his advantage."

"And Daniel's the one suffering the consequences," Vala said.

Mitchell looked to the floor and shoved his hands in his pockets. "How's he doin'?"

"Not good," Sam said. "We've been able to keep his temperature from dropping further, and his blood pressure is better. But the longer it takes to get him home, the bigger the hole in his lung will get."

"Q," Vala called.

"What is it now?" Q asked, flashing in with a large crescent-shaped weapon.

"Whoa." Mitchell jumped out of his way.

"What is that?" Vala asked, intrigued by the shiny blade despite her concern for Daniel.

"It's a Klingon Bat'leth. Did I forget to mention that I can't help you anymore? It certainly doesn't sound like me."

Vala clenched her jaw and growled, "Listen to me, you-."

Sam put a hand on the other woman's arm. "Vala," she said.

"He doesn't look so good," Q said, leaning over Daniel.

"We were fired on," Sam explained. "He fell when the ship shook, and his rib punctured his lung."

"Is he in shock?" Q asked, tossing his Bat'leth into oblivion.

"He started to go into shock, but Sam got him stabilized," Mitchell said.

"Impressive,' Q said.

"We need to get to Earth, now," Vala said in a calm voice through clenched teeth.

Q studied the worried expressions around him. "I'll see what I can do."

When Q vanished, Vala let out a sigh of relief. "We'll be home in no time," she said to Daniel's sleeping form as she lightly leaned her arm on the jackets over his chest.

Everyone looked around expectantly.

"Yep, no time at all," Vala said.

* * *

"We have arrived at the planet," Teal'c reported via radio.

Sam sat slumped against the table with her head in her hands. "Is there a stargate?" she asked, looking up.

"I am scanning."

The only sound in the infirmary was Daniel's labored breathing, which had somehow improved in the hour since Q left, although no one had mentioned it for fear that speaking the thought would nullify it.

"There is a stargate."

Mitchell jumped to his feet as Vala and Sam relaxed their shoulders.

"I am searching for a place to land."

"Thanks, Teal'c," Sam said. She placed her hand on Daniel's head and bit her bottom lip.

* * *

Q stood with his back pressed against a whitish curved structure as air rushed back and forth past him, blowing what little hair he had on his head.

* * *

"What's wrong?" Mitchell asked.

Sam puffed up her cheeks and blew out air. She dialed Earth's address and pressed the red globe in the center of the DHD for the third time.

The gate lit up, spun and kawooshed.

"I guess it needed to warm up," Sam said.

"Well, it doesn't look like it's been used in a while," Mitchell said, gesturing toward the waist high grass surrounding the gate for as far as they could see.

"Stargate Command, this is Lt. Colonel Carter, come in please."

There was a pause, presumably while Sgt. Harriman confirmed SG-1's IDC.

"Colonel, you'll be happy to know we just dispatched the Odyssey to your coordinates," General Landry said. "They were instructed to route all available power to the hyperdrive to get there as fast as possible."

The Colonels exchanged confused looks.

"General, how do you know our coordinates?" Sam asked.

"Q told us. And he told us of Dr. Jackson's condition. Has there been any change?"

"I don't know how much Q told you, sir. The hole in Daniel's lung doesn't seem to have gotten bigger, but his other wound is infected and he's running a fever. I'd like to send him and Vala through now, sir. The rest of us can fly with the Ori ship to the alpha site."

"I'll have a medical team waiting."

"Thank you, sir. We'll dial in again when we're ready to send them through."

Sam and Mitchell made their way over and around fallen trees back to the ship.

"I can stay and help," Vala offered as Sam helped her limp to the stargate behind Mitchell and Teal'c, who were carrying Daniel on the stretcher they'd found in the Ori infirmary.

"You need to get that ankle checked out."

"At least it's not broken like I initially thought. Ow," Vala added as she stepped on a root hidden by the tall grass and jarred her leg. "This is the best path to the stargate?"

"This is the _only _path. You still need to be checked out. You probably sustained a concussion too, remember."

"Hard to forget with the pounding headache."

"Besides, Daniel's gonna need some company when he wakes up. Even your company." Sam nudged Vala's uninjured shoulder and grinned.

"You should be checked out too by the way," Vala said.

"As soon as we get this ship home."

"Probably not a good idea to leave the ship with those two anyway." Vala nodded to the men ahead.

"I heard that," Mitchell said.

"We are perfectly capable of handling the ship, Vala Mal Doran."

"I know you are, Teal'c," Sam said. "But I do know more about the engines."

"She's got a point there,' Mitchell said. "I can fly the ship, but I don't know thing one about how the hyperdrive etc. works."

"I have little more knowledge than you on the inner workings of the hyperdrive, Colonel Mitchell."

"Big of you to admit it," Mitchell muttered, remembering his "adequate" assistance with the Prior outside the chapel.

"What about our prisoners?" Vala asked.

"We'll find 'em a nice place to stay," Mitchell said. He stopped at a large fallen tree. "You're sure you didn't see a way around this?"

"I did not," Teal'c responded.

"Too bad the rings were hit," Vala said, cringing at the massive obstacle.

"I can probably fix it," Sam said. "But it'll more time than this."

Sam left Vala leaning against a tree trunk and took Mitchell's end of Daniel's stretcher.

"Here goes," Mitchell said, and climbed over the tree. "Hopefully, he won't wake up this time."

Daniel, who had been in and out of consciousness since his temperature started going up, had regained consciousness as they carried him across the bridge over the river near the only clear place big enough to land the ship. On the other side of the bridge, Sam gave him a sedative.

When Mitchell was on the other side of the tree, he reached as far across as he could. Sam and Teal'c eased the stretcher to Mitchell. All was going well when one corner of the stretcher bumped a knob on the tree trunk, and Daniel's body was jarred.

Sam hissed in a breath as Daniel's head lolled from side to side. No one moved for a full minute. "Ok," Sam said, and they resumed the task.

Then, Sam held Teal'c's end of the stretcher while Teal'c climbed over the tree. When Daniel was safely over the tree, and still asleep, Sam went back for Vala.

* * *

The whitish curved structure slid forward, causing Q to slip. He pressed his back harder against the hard surface. Air blew past him at almost hurricane force. He glanced up at the jagged point of the structure, and, literally, stretched himself taller and broader in an attempt to patch the widening opening created by the point. 


	6. Quasi Quenched

Who's Afraid of the Big, Bad Q?

Quasi Quenched

Everything was blurry when Daniel first opened his eyes. As his vision cleared, he made out the figure sitting beside the bed. He smiled as Jack fumbled, almost dropping, the empty IV bag he was playing with.

"Old habits die hard."

"What?" Jack's head snapped up, and he abandoned the IV bag on the bed table.

"You sitting by my bedside."

"Oh. Well, _you _have a habit of getting injured. And shoved through walls by women. And . . . worse."

"I'll try to quit," Daniel said.

"You do that," Jack said, shaking a finger at Daniel. After a pause, he said, "You might want to stick with the habit of being lucky, though."

"Lucky hurts." Daniel ran a hand lightly over his ribs, feeling the bandage under his shirt.

Jack nodded. "Dr. Lam says you're out of the woods, but I'm supposed to make sure you don't move much."

Right on cue, Daniel pushed himself onto his elbows, bringing forth a hiss of pain, and craned his neck around the halfway drawn curtain. "Where's everybody else?"

Jack sighed and lightly pressed on Daniel's shoulders. "They're all gonna be fine."

"_Gonna_ be fine?" Daniel resisted Jack, but collapsed onto his back when he felt a stab in his chest. "Last thing I remember, they _were _fine. Aside from Vala's ankle, shoulder and probable concussion. And Sam-" Daniel had to stop talking because of a coughing fit.

Jack poured water into a cup and waited for Daniel to stop coughing before handing it to him. "You gotta take it easy. Even if you weren't as bad off as you shoulda been."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Jack sat back in his chair and flicked the IV bag.

'Jack."

"I overheard Lam say you should've been dead with a hole in your lung that size."

Daniel's eyes widened. "Q," he said after a pause.

"What?" Jack said. He looked around for Q, then waved his hand in front of Daniel's face to see if his friend was still with him.

"He must've done something."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, he went inside me to see if I had internal bleeding. Maybe he went back and . . . I don't know put something in the hole."

"I don't think Lam found-. Did you say _inside _you?"

"Yeah, _please_ don't ask. I guess we made it back ok? I was kind of in and out."

Jack shook his head to rid it of the thought of Q inside Daniel, then filled Daniel in on how he and Vala had arrived back at the SGC. "Carter, Teal'c and Mitchell are still en route to the alpha site, but they should be getting there soon."

Daniel relaxed and yawned.

"Want a bedtime story?" Jack asked.

Daniel smiled. "Sure."

"Rumor has it Adria returned through the supergate."

Daniel nodded.

"Vala has a plan to capture her."

Daniel raised his eyebrows.

"She wants to use that memory altering thingy from that planet with those aliens who altered Mitchell's memory."

"Galar."

"Whatever. She wants to implant false memories and use herself as bait."

Daniel bit his lip in thought. "You going to let her go through with it?"

"With a little adjusting I think it could work. Course technically, it's Landry's call."

"What does she want to do with Adria?"

"Get rid of her I guess."

"Jack, Adria's her daughter."

"I know."

Daniel turned his head away.

"It was her idea, Daniel."

"I just don't want her to do something she might regret."

"Yeah," Jack said quietly.

* * *

"You should have waited for medical assistance before removing that device," Dr. Lam said as a nurse handed Sam some pills and a cup of water. "You could have done serious damage."

"I did. It'll probably never work again."

'I meant to _you_."

"Why did you take it off?" Q asked.

Lam jumped and sighed. "Don't you ever knock?"

"I missed you too." Q smiled innocently.

Lam rolled her eyes. "I'll go check on your test results," she said to Sam.

"Well?" Q demanded. "You could have just input the disconnect command."

"I know, but I didn't want to risk the override kicking in and prematurely reconnecting me."

"You knew about that?"

Sam scoffed. "Yep."

Q looked impressed. "He said you'd probably notice."

"Who said?"

"Glad you're ok." And Q was gone.

Sam sighed.

* * *

"I apologize for any inconvenience they caused you," Odai Ventrell said to SG-1 in the briefing room.

"Jackson's the one who suffered the brunt of the attack," Mitchell said.

"Then I will give you this." With a grunt, Ventrell held out his hand, demanding the small chest held by one of the men who had come with him.

The man stepped forward, not raising his gaze from the briefing room table, and handed over the box.

Ventrell slid it across the table to Daniel.

Vala leaned closer from her chair beside Daniel, who was busy studying the writing on the top of the chest. "Well, open it."

Daniel turned to Vala with a look indicating she should back off. Vala smiled and gestured to the chest, but didn't retreat. In fact, she leaned in closer.

Daniel turned the small key and removed the padlock looking thing. The lid creaked as Daniel raised it to reveal a velvet-lined interior and a single orb.

Vala opened her mouth wide with a gasp and reached for the orb.

Daniel made a slight attempt to prevent her from taking it, but she brushed his hand away. The orb was so big, that even with it flat against her palm, Vala's fingers didn't reach around it. Its burnt orange, iridescent surface sprayed the room with reflected light as Vala twirled it slowly, admiring every inch. "Daniel, this is. Where did you get this?" she asked Ventrell.

"It was among Netan's possessions. I'd advise you not to let _that woman_ see it."

"His lover," Mitchell clarified.

"Yes," Ventrell said with a sneer and a shudder.

"Daniel, this is priceless. You could get-"

"If it's priceless, I think I'll hold on to it." Daniel pried the orb from Vala's fingers and set it back in the chest. "Thank you," he said to Ventrell. "What about the chest itself?"

Vala rolled her eyes. "Worthless. You can get one like it anywhere."

"She's right," Ventrell said.

"No, I mean, what do the markings mean?"

Ventrell held out his hand for the chest, and Daniel slid it to him. "This one says 'An oath is a binding sentiment. To be avoided at all cost.'." He slid the chest back to Daniel.

"Sounds like a twisted fortune cookie," Mitchell said.

"Pretty much," Vala said, moving her head to get another glimpse of the orb before Daniel closed the chest.

"Well, you didn't have to give me anything," Daniel said, ignoring Vala's scowl.

"I brought it for Colonel Mitchell," Ventrell said. "Your little tip led me to the most lucrative position I've ever had. I'll give you this instead, Colonel." Ventrell snapped his fingers at the other man who'd accompanied him. With the same downcast gaze, the man brought a smaller box to Ventrell, who slid it to Mitchell.

"Ah, you shouldn't have." Mitchell opened the box and pulled out a long chain with a large medallion.

Vala whistled.

"I'll take that as a good sign," Mitchell said, coiling the chain back into the box.

"You know, I fell too," Vala said. "As I was trying to protect Daniel."

Ventrell smiled at Vala. "I used to frequent a dusty marketplace on Cavalitus 3. Ever heard of it? My specialty was rare artifacts. I had this one I was particularly fond of. It was a golden vessel with horns. Large. Ornate."

Vala folded her arms and slouched in her chair.

"I left my station one day to fetch something for a seductively persuasive young woman. When I returned, my entire stock was gone, including the golden vessel. I didn't see that young woman for quite some time, and I have never laid eyes on the vessel since."

Vala sighed and averted her gaze from the others at the table. When she felt Daniel's stare still on her after a few seconds, she said defensively, "Someone stole it from me."

"Hmph," Ventrell said. "If you don't mind, I'd like to take the prisoners now. I've got a busy afternoon."

"Just out of curiosity," Mitchell said, standing with Landry, Carter and Ventrell. "What will you do with them?"

"They can work in one of my mining camps. I am grateful to you, Colonel Mitchell. If you or your people need anything. . . Ever."

"Thank you," Mitchell and Daniel said.

"Teal'c, wanna help me retrieve the prisoners?"

Teal'c bowed his head to Ventrell, and followed Mitchell.

* * *

"How do you know these things?" Ollin asked.

"I was on that ship with the Orici," Daniel said. "I was the Prior who gave you those orders."

Ollin tilted his head to study Daniel. "That cannot be."

"It is. Everything I told you is true, correct?"

"Ye-es. But if you are a Prior, why do you dishonor the Orici?"

"I'm not a Prior. Not anymore."

Ollin's tilted his head in the other direction, and his features twisted in further confusion.

"I know, it's difficult to understand. But I'm telling you the truth. The Ori are not who you think they are."

"The Ori are powerful."

"Yes."

Ollin crossed his arms. "They possess far greater power than me. If I were to believe you and follow you, how would you protect me?"

"I'm not asking you to follow me," Daniel said. "I'm not asking you to follow anyone, least of all anyone who will deceive you."

"Than what are you asking?"

Daniel sighed. "We're taking you to some friends of ours who survived a confrontation with the Ori."

Ollin crossed his arms tighter. "Impossible."

"Many, many of their people were lost in the process, but the survivors were able to find a new home. They're taking in anyone who opposes the Ori."

"I have not agreed to oppose the Ori."

Daniel held up his hands. "I know that. Just listen to these people."

"They have proof of what you claim?"

"They have more proof than I can give you, yes."

"Can you prove that you were in the Orici's mind?"

"Not without you hearing it from her, no. All you have is my word for that."

"And your knowledge of my activities on that ship."

"Yes."

"Can you summon her?"

"The Orici?"

"If she says you were a Prior, then I will agree to talk to your friends."

Daniel thought for a minute, then called for Q.

"Feeling better?" Q asked.

"Oh, yes. Thank you, by the way."

Q waved dismissively. "Pshaw."

"I wonder if you could do me a favor."

Q frowned. "As I've reminded you on several occasions-"

"You're omnipotent, right. Sorry."

"I know it's a hard concept to understand with your finite little brain."

Daniel decided to ignore the racial slur. "I need to talk to Adria. Can you, I mean will you bring her here."

Q leaned close and gazed into Daniel's eyes. "You must have banged your head harder than I thought."

"I just need to talk to her for a minute or so."

"Talking doesn't seem to be her style."

"Normally, I could identify with that. But in this case, I think it would be best to leave her where she is." Jack had arrived and pushed his way to the front of the crowd from the Ori ship's chapel. "In another galaxy. Far, far, far away," he added.

"Jack-."

"Daniel, when Carter and Vala execute their plan and Adria is strapped to that chair, you can talk to her all you want."

"You should listen to him," Q said, pointing his thumb at Jack. "He's not as dumb as he looks."

Jack stopped mid nod at Q's first statement to protest the second point, but Q had already waved and vanished.

"We're ready to take the refugees, General."

Jack nodded to the Marines gathering around the crowd.

"Any trouble with the soldiers?" Daniel asked.

"There were a few scuffles," the Marine unit leader said. "But once they realized they were unarmed and Teal'c wasn't bluffing, they cooperated."

"What will become of them?" Ollin asked.

"They'll be taken somewhere where they can't hurt anyone," Jack said. "Ok, folks, time to go. These fellas will take good care of you." Jack waved his arms in a shooing gesture at the crowd.

"We are not refugees," Ollin said.

"Look, I know this is all new to you," Daniel said. "But give us a chance. If you don't decide to change your minds, we can find somewhere else for you to stay."

"You will take us back to our galaxy?"

"We'll see what we can do," Daniel said.

Ollin studied Daniel, who didn't waver or squirm. "You appear to be truthful. We will go." Ollin nodded and lead the people away with the Marines. Several people glanced at Daniel as they passed.

"You can't be left alone for a _second_," Jack tisked as he put an arm around Daniel and started walking toward the large clearing where Teal'c had landed the ship.

"Q could've gotten her away before she did anything."

"You sure about that? Because from what I heard, she was pretty pissed."

"That would have demonstrated that she knew me."

"You think that woulda been enough?"

"Even if she denied that I was a Prior, which she probably would have-."

"She wouldn't want her worshippers to know she failed."

"Right. But Ollin would have at least been able to see that we know each other well."

"And what if she killed you?"

"I'm confident Q would have taken precautions before bringing her here."

Jack thought about that and must have agreed because his next statement was, "How well _do_ you know each other?"

Daniel ignored Jack's wry grin and waved at Sam.

"Welcome to the new alpha site, sir," Sam said, as she and Teal'c approached.

Jack made a noncommittal grunt.

"What?" Daniel asked.

"I liked the other one."

"The other one being the one before this one?"

"It had more trees."

"You were the one who said we shouldn't stay in one place too long."

"Which is a good idea, sir."

"I wasn't made aware there were fewer trees here."

"Ready to see the ship?" Sam asked while Daniel rolled his eyes, and Teal'c raised an eyebrow.

"You have to ask?"

"This way, sir," Sam said with an amused smile.

Jack clapped Teal'c on the back and fell into step beside the Jaffa. "How'd you like flying her, T?"

"It was a most enjoyable experience O'Neill."

"Try to contain yourself."

"I am."

Jack laughed heartily.

As the team neared the Ori ship's hulking shadow, Sam stopped and asked for Siler's clipboard.

"What are you doing?" Daniel asked as she flipped to a page and began writing.

"Adding to the criteria list for future alpha sites."

Daniel laughed, and the two jogged to catch up with their teammates.

Siler flipped to Sam's note, then cast a confused glance at her back, mouthing, "Trees?"

* * *

"Oh my god!" Sam stared open-mouthed at her laptop.

"What?" Jack and Daniel looked up from the weapons schematics Vala was showing them on the Ori ship.

Sam moved her mouth for a few seconds before she could speak. "I'll kill him."

Jack and Daniel exchanged a look.

"All I did was open it," Jack whispered. "I didn't touch any buttons."

Mitchell whistled and leaned down to look at the laptop's screen.

"They're all from-?"

"Yes!"

"Carter?"

"I have one hundred and twenty-"

"One hundred twenty-one," Mitchell said. "It just…updated." He backed away from the glare Sam turned on him.

"One hundred twenty-one emails from Rodney McKay! In my _personal _email account!"

"How did Dr. McKay get your personal email address?" Daniel asked.

"Q no doubt. In exchange for helping develop certain devices. Of course Rodney doesn't specify which devices, but his hints make it clear enough."

"He better be glad he's omnipotent," Jack muttered. "So she won't be able to find him."

"I wouldn't let her hear you say that," Vala said.

* * *

Q sat back with a smug smile. He rested his head against the back of an enormous armchair floating in Earth's orbit. He watched the large screen in front of him for a few more minutes, then used a remote to click it off. The members of SG-1 shrank to a pinprick of light that vanished a nanosecond before the screen itself vanished.

Q sighed and pulled a long scroll from his pocket. He was still unrolling it when he and his chair disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

AN: Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing!! Q may decide he likes the SGC as much as the _Enterprise_ and come for another visit someday. For the moment, I have an idea for a Psych story I'd like to work on. 


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